My eyes are too shit to have laser eye surgery?? Aibu to think its bollox? Anyone else had this?

[CallingPeopleACuntOnFb]

I am pretty badly short sighted (-6 in both eyes) and have decided to have laser eye surgery as I am sick of glasses and contacts

I went for a consultation at Optimax and had all the eye tests etc. The sales consultant I saw after said my eyes were too bad for LASIK/LASEK - which costs about 2 - 3k. However - all isn't lost! - I am a good candidate for a corneal implant (I think its called) where they basically insert a contact lense inside your eye ...however this is FIVE GRAND. Five fucking grand

I about died. I mean I want it done, and I will pay it if absolutely necessary, if its the only option.. has anyone with similar (or even worse) eyes that had it done.... I just cant believe I am "too short sighted" to have my eyes fixed :( gutted

To add insult to injury, I had a £500 off voucher ....surprise surprise, its only valid for the laser surgery not the 5k treatment

Please read

Op my relative is an optician and his biggest advise is to never get laser eye surgery. He stated that the amount of people that come back to him many years later think 45+ who are now requiring varifocal lenses due to having laser eye surgery. When previously they were only short sighted etc and so could wear contacts.

He said that having the laser eye surgery will affect your sight in later years and normally requires varifocal lenses whereas you may never have needed them. He said that having varifocal lenses are more costly and worse off for yourself earlier in life because of laser eye surgery.

People don’t realise this till they’ve had the laser eye surgery done then many years later have this exact problem. Of course the laser eye company’s are not going to tell you this.

I was minus 12 with astigmatism and had to have lens inserts rather than lasik. Ended up with ok vision but not as clear as when I was in normal contacts. I had to give up contacts as I stopped tolerating them. Now have to wear glasses as I have got more short sighted! And also getting long sighted. So o wouldn't have surgery again unless last resort

Well firstly, it isn't a corneal implant, it's a lens implant. Secondly, I had one done, albeit 3 years ago and it was £1900 for one eye. I'd go to a proper ophthalmic surgeon if I were you, i.e. One who works in the NHS but also has a private practice.

Laser eye surgery works by removing some of the thickness of tissue in your cornea to reshape it in order that images are focussed clearly at the back of the eye.

The higher your prescription is, the more material needs to be removed to get the result.

There is a finite safe thickness of your cornea that they can leave. Corneas vary in thickness.

Therefore the higher your prescription, the thicker your cornea needs to be to be able to safely do the operation.

Probably you don't have thick enough corneas for your prescription.

They are doing the surgery to make money, so if they say they don't want to do it, it's obviously for a reason!

If you wait til you have cataracts you can have a lens replacement surgery for free!

OMG - I have never read a thread where there is so much incorrect information.

Alexa - you're not correct, at -6 it will be a anterior chamber lens/corneal lens called intacts.

SW - laser surgery does not prevent someones eyes deteriorating due to age, so eventually 99% of people need glasses to improve their close vision, this happens to long sighted, short sighted and astigmatic people regardless of whether they had laser surgery done. Its a normal ageing process called presbyopia. If you are shortsighted and reach the age of 45-50, you will need to either have varifocals, bifocals, special contacts/bifocal contacts/reading glasses over your contact lenses.

Go to the refractory clinic at Moorfields. I had lasik with -5.75 and got 20/20 vision. Although 13 years on it has deteorated, I now wear glasses for driving.

Fence - there hasn't a Russian ship for 20 years or so and they did a very outdated method of correction called RK which severely weakens the eye, isn't very effective and causes horrendous night vision.

Heather - Lasik can make night vision worse, especially if you have large pupils and a high prescription.

play - yes, depending on the clinic, astigmatism up to 3,5DC can be treated unless you have an irregular cornea (which they can see during the scans they take in the consultation).

scissor - you can't have had LASIK done, it doesn't hurt. I suspect you had either LASEK or PRK. LASIK is the one where you can see clearly within 12 hours of the procedure (often within a couple of hours).

scipio - you cannot damage your eyes by looking at a computer, or prevent eye damage from having laser surgery done.

SW what a complete load of bollocks.

Sorry I should have added that of course they come back at 45+ because they are prebyopic, not because of laser surgery

Sorry Underneath just realised you had already said that.

I went to a Harley Street practice and was rejected too! -4 in both eyes and astigmatism, but the scarcely noticeable squint in my left eye was the clincher. I would still need glasses so they showed me the door. I begged them to fix the squint as well but they said I was too old and would just have permanent double vision. Booo. Still, saved me £6k...

This was 10+ years ago...

First I went to one clinic, with my -8.5 (plus astigmatism in one eye) prescription. The doc said no, the thinness of my corneas combined with my high prescription meant he would not do LASIK, but to come back in a couple of years.

Went to Optimax 2 years later, surgeon said he was happy to do the surgery including one further surgery if needed. I asked how many of these he'd done, he said 6,000.

After surgery I had pretty much perfect distance vision and have had ever since. My close-up vision is now going, but I am 47 so it's to be expected.

DH who has never had LASIK is having to get vaifocals but I just have glasses for the computer and reading.

I do think I have slightly worse low-light vision, but overall it's been so so so worth it. I had got to the point where my eyes would no longer tolerate contact lenses. I had been very very short sighted since the age of 7. It really did feel like a miracle to be able to see without glasses, and still does.

It wasn't particularly painful for me, but I did have one spell a few hours after surgery where my eyes were so light sensitive that they watered uncontrollably even in a completely dark room. It passed in an hour.

Try Optegra Birmingham. Have sorted my dad out who has just turned 70. Others said he couldn't be treated.

Thanks all

I think I’ll be giving it a miss anyway! Glasses it is 😆

SWtobe
Sounds more like the thing a ‘bloke in a pub’ would say. It’s cobblers.

I had mine done with accuvision a couple of years ago; I’m no spring chicken, and yes I need reading glasses. I’d have need them anyway, but I don’t need varifocals now because I’m no longer short sighted.

I would seek a 2nd opinion and would say to try Optegra.
My OH did some research and these came out on top.
I was all set to have a (free)consultation with them but cancelled as I got spooked
I hate my glasses so I use Contacts but lately I am having lots of trouble with them-trialing different lenses and it is now I regret cancelling my consult and wondering if I should go ahead with it all.
I really would not want to go ahead and in a few years time need to wear glasses anyway as this is what I am trying to avoid.
So hard to know what to do for the best!
(the having to wear my glasses for a week prior to the consult also puts me off!-did I say I HATE my glasses?)

I'm an optometrist and it's true that some people can't have laser surgery. But you need to find out why. It may just be that they can't do the technique that is needed.
However it could be that it just wont make your vision that much better. A lot of different factors make up your prescription so some people with a "lower" prescription can't have it whereas a "higher" prescription can. You need to find out why so you know whether to try another clinic

I'm in my mid fifties and I had lens replacement in May this year. My prescription was -6.5 with astigmatism in both eyes. I am up to driving standard but will be having a laser adjustment once my prescription has settled to bring me as close to 20/20 as possible. Although it hasn't been plain sailing, I am glad I have had it done just to be free of all the various different glasses/contact lenses I needed to go about my normal day. At the moment I am using a very light pair of spec (-0.75) whist driving but that is for my own comfort and reassurance particularly in poor light.

I've had the procedure they offered you. It's a lense that fits on top of your iris, under your cornea. It's more involved than laser surgery and requires a surgeon which is why it costs more. However it carries less risk than laser surgery. You can't reverse laser surgery. If it goes wrong you're screwed. Implanted lenses can be removed, if necessary. The surgeon who did mine told me that he'd removed them from one patient (out of the thousands he'd done).

I was -11. I was borderline for successful laser and surgeon recommended lens replacement ( not insert contact lens). Similar to cataract surgery. It cost £8k and worth every penny. I have crystal lenses which my eye muscles move so do long and short distance. It's great.

Well I informed the clinic I wouldn’t be going ahead due to cost and they’ve offered me £500 off! So would be £4490

Hmmmmm now I’m back considering it again ...🤔