Optical Express Lens Replacement Surgery

[Calyx72]

I am 49, always worn glasses due to astigmatism and short sight, vision great with glasses. Can't recognise anything without them really. Vision starting to get worse reading but I just slide my glasses down my nose a bit.

Optical express phone consultation today said Lens Replacement Surgery would fix my vision for all distances, prevent cataracts and could be paid over some years.

Anyone had it? I am thinking of it and have been reading around it but reviews seem to be either 5 star or 'ruined my life'. I feel they might be great until I pay but may not be so great if something goes wrong.

It seems many many people have it done with them and I wondered what people's experience has been?

Bump

Hopeful bump

Do you have an Optegra Eye Hospital within reasonable distance?

@dane8

I’d never go to a high st opticians never You only get one sight

If your really thinking about having this done
Try looking at your local eye hospital
Our eye hospital does private for many different things to do with better visionary

That's kind of what I am beginning to think, thanks

@Foxyloxy1plus1

Do you have an Optegra Eye Hospital within reasonable distance?

Hmm nearest is Yorkshire which is 3 and 3/4 hours away

I have had a lens replacement as part of a retina reattachment. It's a straight forward surgery and quick recovery time, I've spoken to people who have had it done to correct vision and been very happy with it.

However, you need to know that future laser surgery is a possibility. Of the 3 people I know who have had it done plus myself, me and 2 others have developed a film over the lens, it seems fairly common. I'm 3 hrs post surgery and on the list for the laser removal.

I’m an optician. I would echo the above advice to NEVER go to high street providers for this sort of thing. I send my patients to Optegra generally.
The procedure itself is like a cataract operation so quite straightforward and well-understood. The ‘film’ described by @FatGirlShrinking is quite a common complication (posterior capsule opacification) but very easily and quickly rectified and shouldn’t need to be done again after the first time.

What’s your prescription OP?
Lens replacement is unlikely to give you good distance and close vision. The ‘varifocal’ implants cannot replicate a normal lens.

I was thinking about this today. I'd love better long distance vision, even if I still need reading glasses.
Is it the same as laser eye surgery? Does that replace the lens as well?

To get it done in the right kind of place, what are the prices like?

@FatGirlShrinking

I have had a lens replacement as part of a retina reattachment. It's a straight forward surgery and quick recovery time, I've spoken to people who have had it done to correct vision and been very happy with it.

However, you need to know that future laser surgery is a possibility. Of the 3 people I know who have had it done plus myself, me and 2 others have developed a film over the lens, it seems fairly common. I'm 3 hrs post surgery and on the list for the laser removal.

Thanks for this. I hope you are sorted properly and soon.

@underneaththeash

What’s your prescription OP? Lens replacement is unlikely to give you good distance and close vision. The ‘varifocal’ implants cannot replicate a normal lens.

I don't know my prescription but I have very poor vision without my (strong/thick) glasses and significant astigmatism.

I was wondering how well I would see afterwards especially as my vision with my glasses is perfect. I hate wearing my glasses but they work very well.

Many reviews say 'crystal clear vision, wish I had done it earlier' but some don't and I am suspicious of the great reviews. I wanted realistic feedback and really appreciate these comments.

I will look into Optegra in Yorkshire or London I think. Thanks for comments

I had this through Optegra at Birmingham- had initial surgery in March then we went into lockdown which meant my 6 week review was delayed. We are now following up and will probably need a bit of laser tweaking in the new year. So it isn't instantly perfect but the cost includes all necessary follow up until you're happy.

At the moment my close vision is good and my long vision is acceptable, but at night I still get a lot of glare and haloing from lights meaning I'm limiting my night driving - they achieved this by setting one lens to near and middle distance focus and the other to middle and far distance and my brain quickly learned to merge the info into a comprehensive image

I had early laser surgery in the 1980s when the equipment was less accurate so had some surface scaring that made their job more challenging.

Overall I'm glad I did it as I hated glasses, especially as I ended up doing the varifocal squint all the time, and wearing a mask is bearable without glasses.

Hope that's helpful

Thanks Showgirl. It really is helpful.

The mask thing is what made me start to look into this in the first place (work in healthcare). I am glad you're glad you had it done. The halos and glare at night sound very annoying, the info I am reading says that improves after a few months but of course yours has been several months longer than a few. I hope you get reviewed soon and it does get better.

My mum had this done in hospital- she was due to have cataracts done and because she was so short sighted (-11 both eyes!) they did it as lens replacement and she said it was fantastic. She never had to wear glasses again and said she wished she’d had it done years earlier. Hers was through a referral through the optician. I guess that’s because of the cataracts though and her age (she was 69 at the time). I don’t think I’d go through a high street group.

Thanks Bagesandbrie. It's fantastic that your Mum is delighted. I am wondering whether to wait till I am nearing/getting cataracts and just do it then

I had cataracts and had replacement lenses. I now have, apparently, near perfect sight but I still need to wear glasses because I have a very bad astigmatism.

I believe that astigmatism may be corrected by the surgeon but I don't think that's something normally done on the NHS. I certainly wasn't offered it.

But, on the whole, I am very pleased I had it done.

I walked into an Optical Express once (years ago, pre-pandemic) and was immediately set upon by sales assistants trying to get me to agree to laser eye surgery. I walked out.

I felt like they were trying to push surgery for a commission, not because I was a suitable candidate and/or actually wanted it.

Your eyesight is so precious - don't entrust anyone with it who isn't very experienced and has the testimonials/reviews to prove it.

For me, what settled it, was meeting several eye doctors who wore glasses/contacts and had chosen not to get laser eye surgery done. I figured if they didn't think it was worth the risk, I wasn't interested either!

VeniVidiWeeWee what a shame you weren't offered the astigmatism correction as part of your op. Thanks for your reply

Rainkeepsfallingdown That's how I feel about the commission. It's a lot of money. Also very good point about the surgeons in glasses!

Dane8 I am in Scotland so no Optegra clinic but if I did decide to do it I would probably go to Optegra in England and just factor in accommodation and travel I think, including review appointments

Eye professionals generally won’t have laser refractive surgery but I would say we are generally a lot happier with the idea lens replacement.
There’s maybe a bit of misunderstanding on this thread I think - pretty much ALL cataract surgery these days is lens replacement, under the NHS they will often correct significant long/short sight at the same time but not astigmatism. Going privately gives you the options of astigmatism correction, multi focal lenses (so you can see distance and close up) etc.
OP there will be good clinics in Scotland too other than Optegra - do you have a local Spire or Nuffield hospital?