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Original poster

To even consider laser eye surgery?...

117 replies

MissGruffalo · 26/04/2019 21:50

A few years back I only needed my specs for watching tv. Cut to today and I need them for most tasks. Not as short sighted as some but I definitely wouldn’t leave the house without wearing my glasses.
And I hate it.

I’m very squeamish when it comes to putting things in my eyes so I’ve never tried contacts (even though my optician says I have the perfect prescription for it!)

Has anyone had laser eye surgery? Would you recommend it?

I remember reading a few stories a couple of years ago about it going wrong and it’s always stuck with me so I’ve never considered it before. But now I’m so fed up of having to wear glasses.

Any advice?

Excuse any typos, I’ve had a couple of Wine and it’s got me pondering!

OP posts:
ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 26/04/2019 22:10

It's excellent. Started from a prescription of -8.5 (couldn't see my hand at the end of my arm if I held it out in front of me) and have now had eleven years of ether than 20:20 vision without problems. I'm 42 now so am
my sight will deteriorate at some point soon but no sign of it so far.

I had very dry eyes for the first few months so used Systane viscous eye drops. Suddenly, it cleared up overnight and has been great ever since.

Do it, OP. Well worth it. At its worst, no more uncomfortable than a visit to the hygienist.

Cryalot2 · 26/04/2019 22:11

I wear lenses that stay in for a calender month . You don't know they are there. Mine are varifocal . Some get the opticians to change them .
I know you don't want lenses , but both adult daughter and I both wear them and love them.

Mssngvwls · 26/04/2019 22:11

I had it done in 2012 and it was the best thing ever. Game changer! I was very short sighted with astigmatism.

snozzlemaid · 26/04/2019 22:12

I'm 47 and my prescription is -2.5 in both eyes.
I've just started wearing varifocals and I hate them. I'm so fed up of wearing glasses or contacts.
I'm seriously going to look into this.

powershowerforanhour · 26/04/2019 22:13

I had lasik about 15 years ago in my mid 20s.
Best thing ever.
Did not get any night glare.
Currently near end of 2nd pregnancy- all fine.
Would recommend.

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 26/04/2019 22:14

My eyesight went bad when I had measles at nine (no MMR in those days) and I have had to wear glasses all my life -- I broke them into my left eye the following year and it's taken ages for all the fragments to work their way out, and I couldn't wear contacts until the scarring had healed. Got fed up six years ago and tried contacts, but I couldn't wear all-month contact lenses because my eyes were too dry, and the optician said "Have you thought of laser treatment?" I hadn't. I did.

Went to Moorfields private wing because it's quite close and likely to be best for any care if anything goes wrong, and they said "sorry, no point doing laser surgery to correct your vision because you have cataracts forming." So after discussion they did cataract and corrective surgery both at once , one eye at a time, and I have never regretted it.

The only down side was slight "haloing" at night, worse for one eye than the other, and that was corrected free of charge at a visit six months later.

Oh, the other downside was that it's expensive. But I worked out that I was going to be spending a lot on frames and lenses, and gulped and paid.

There is a one in about eleven hundred chance of it not working. But I was one of the thousand and ninety-nine without problems and got what I paid for, being able to see in the mornings without having to find my specs. And the bridge of my nose and behind my ears don;t hurt any more!

Summersunsareglowing · 26/04/2019 22:15

@PercyGherkin
Could your MIL not have lens replacement surgery? I'm not sure if she could have it on the NHS but my hairdresser had this a few months ago. It cost @ £3k per eye.

Shoppingwithmother · 26/04/2019 22:16

For me the issue is the possibility of the vision worsening due to complications, scarring or the cornea healing in an irregular way that would mean that not only would the eye still have a prescription, but that it would not be fully correctable with glasses or contact lenses.

It’s fairly rare, but does happen, and is enough to put me off. I have worn glasses every day for most of my life, and it doesn’t really bother me. My vision with my glasses is great and I would not want to lose that and end up in a worse position than I am now, however remote the chance.

Alsohuman · 26/04/2019 22:16

Just had cataract surgery in both eyes a fortnight apart. It’s seriously life changing. I can now read without glasses for the first time in 15 years. Having it done was weird but I’ve had a worse time in the dentists chair. And that’s me done for the rest of my life.

Original poster
MissGruffalo · 26/04/2019 22:18

Oh such a mixed bag! You’ve been no help at all! (Joking!)

I’m 30. I do have my prescription around here somewhere, I’ll post it tomorrow as I can’t really be bothered rifling through drawers right now 😬
My eyesight isn’t as bad as some.
I certainly can’t drive without my glasses. I can watch tv without them but not comfortably (iykwim)
If I rush out to do the school run (walking, not driving) and forget my glasses, I feel weird, almost like I’m really tall and floating (I know, that makes no sense but its true!)
I certainly can’t read road signs, etc without them.

No problems with longsightedness, can read perfectly, it’s just far away I have trouble with.

Aah, I’m so undecided. I’d love to not need them but the risks are so... risky.

OP posts:
WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 26/04/2019 22:18

shopping I felt like that until I had my second pair of varifocals last year. Now I hate and loathe my glasses (which I’ve worn for many many years). I’m -7 and -4 but now getting both more short and more long sighted,

I hate it.

BMW6 · 26/04/2019 22:18

I had it done 10 years ago, age 50. Was terribly short sighted. It's the best £3,000 I ever spent. (I was VERY myopic)
I had it done at Optical Express. Why not get a free consultation? Not everyone is suitable - a niece went, and she was deemed unsuitable.

Every procedure carries risk, but a reputable clinic will explain the risks and will refuse you if you are not a good candidate.

Personally I adore being able to see without glasses or contacts.

Original poster
MissGruffalo · 26/04/2019 22:19

@Cryalot2 I had no idea such things existed!

OP posts:
Summersunsareglowing · 26/04/2019 22:19

I had it done in mid 1990s and it is one of the best things I've ever done. Absolutely life-changing.

I was very short-sighted (-6.5 and - 7.0 dioptres) and to suddenly have extremely good vision was fantastic.

Alsohuman · 26/04/2019 22:19

@Summer, cataract surgery IS lens replacement. They shatter your lens, remove the debris and insert a plastic lens.

BeenHereForAges · 26/04/2019 22:19

Be very careful op. I have a high prescription and went for a laser consultation a few years ago. I went to 2 clinics, the first said no problem and they'd be happy to book me in, the 2nd said I'd likely get night vision problems and be unable to drive at night & get halos around light sources-permanently. I appreciated the honesty of the 2nd clinic!
Try contact lenses. They're fab!

granadagirl · 26/04/2019 22:26

I had mine done when I was about 38, I did my research.
At the time a top eye surgeon was doing it in Boots when it first took off ( they no longer do it)
It’s cost then 23 yrs ago £1200 per eye I had lasik
I had no problems whatsoever, I could see distance straight away
Brilliant, only thing now she’d 61 is I need glades for reading and when driving in dark
I even told my gp and she went to the same place. With her though she said her eyes were constantly watering after, so she went to bed
Next day fine.

What I’d say is do not go to a high st optician that does laser eye surgery

If now go to a hospital eye dept
I know Manchester eye hospital does private laser eye surgery
Most eye hospital must offer same thing

Do it

WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 26/04/2019 22:26

Asking Moorfields private is where I guess I would go, how much did you pay if you don’t mind my asking? (I’m assuming this isn’t available on the NHS?)

tanpestryfirescreen · 26/04/2019 22:34

Asking Moorfields private is where I guess I would go, how much did you pay if you don’t mind my asking? (I’m assuming this isn’t available on the NHS?)

wimpoleeyeclinic.com

Prices on here

tanpestryfirescreen · 26/04/2019 22:35

I had lens replacement and then slight laser on 1 eye- after 42 years of wearing glasses. I love it.

Shoppingwithmother · 26/04/2019 22:36

Also, as a shortsighted person, I don’t really want to lose the ability to read in bed without glasses. I’m 44 and will need varifocals soon to be able to see distance and reading at the same time, but even when I get varifocals, I’ll still take them off to read at night. I would hate to have to put glasses on to read, which I would need to if I had normal laser surgery.

At age 30 you’ll have about 10 years before you will need reading glasses if you have laser to correct your distance vision.

GiantKitten · 26/04/2019 22:36

Tangofandango
I had lens replacement surgery 10 years ago (short sighted/astigmatism). For the first time in my life (I was 55) I could see perfectly. I have perfect eyesight now which will never deteriorate. Best thing I've ever done, it changed my life. Go for it OP - you will never look back!

I had lens replacement too, at a similar age, for the same reasons (-10 myopia, plus -10 astigmatism pretty much, plus lens deterioration which meant everything was yellow) though mine was longer ago - focusing lenses weren't available then, I know they are now.

Anyway I had crystal clear fixed-focus distance vision initially, but close-up/middle distance vision was hopeless, & I had to have varifocals but with clear glass at the top.

My eyes have changed since though. Obviously the lenses themselves haven't, but my corneas have, & my distance vision is now worse but I can read, use a computer, shop & drive without specs if necessary (it's an ill wind Grin)

I don't think I would ever have had laser surgery. Both my adult DDs are fairly short sighted (one -8, one -5) & they are resisting too. It can be fantastic, but the long-term implications if it goes wrong are too great for them.

Riverviews · 26/04/2019 22:36

I had mine 20 years ago. I've enjoyed 20 years of perfect vision, but now, due to age, I'm starting to use glasses for work (computer)

givemesteel · 26/04/2019 22:38

Make sure you're fully informed OP and you look up what can go wrong.

There was a newsreader who committed suicide recently as a result of extreme pain from laser surgery. A terribly terribly sad thing to happen.

I've read about others where it has literally ruined their lives.

It's obviously reasonably rare, and many will tell you it's great etc, I know a lot who gave said tgat to me. But I'm too risk adverse and I don't hate wearing contact lenses enough to risk it.

If my vision was terrible and it really affected my quality of life I'd maybe think differently but for me it's not worth it.

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