Laser Eye Surgery - need info please!

[CJ2010]

I suffer from moderate short sightedness, my perscription is -5.25 in both eyes.

I'm getting really fed up now as I want to start taking DD swimming without having to keep my specs on and I would LOVE to wake up in the morning and see clearly. Plus the cost of contacts and glasses has added up over the years.

I'm a complete novice in the world of laser eye surgery, so I have a few questions:

1. Does it hurt?
2. Can you go blind in worst case senario?
3. How much on average does it cost?
4. Is there a 'right' age to have it done?
5. Best companies to use
6. Does it last forever?

Grateful for advice.

I noticed you had no responses so I thought I'd share my experience.

I had my eyes lasered about 9 years ago - best thing I ever did!! However, cos it was so long ago my answers to your questions re cost and best companies (I went to Boots but they don't do it any more) won't really be relevant. Also, not qualified to answer Q2 or Q4. Re Q6, I think I was told that it lasts for as long as your eyes would naturally work properly. In other words, you can subsequent get short-sighted again but that would be due to age.

Re Q1. Whilst it wasn't the nicest thing I've ever experienced, I can't honestly say the procedure hurt. You are given anaesthetic drops in your eyes which pretty much numb them. I wasn't keen on the lens "preparation" part (I'll go into details if you ask me to!) but the actual lasering just felt like a warm, pulsating sensation.

I had to go home wearing sunglasses and actually put a coat over my head as I couldn't stand the sunlight - interesting one going on the train . When I got home I had a snooze for a couple of hours and when I got up I noticed a marked improvement in my eyesight and a dramatic improvement the following morning!

Anyway, hope that helps

I'm in the US so can only answer some of your questions

1. the pain should not be severe
2. there is always a worst case scenario
3. everyone has problems focusing at near after age 40. If you are nearsighted you simply take your glasses off to see up close if you don't want to wear bifocals. After lasik you will have (presumably) perfect distance vision and will therefore need reading glasses in your 40's unless you opt to leave one eye slightly undercorrected. Therefore the younger you are, the longer time frame you have to enjoy good vision without any aids i.e. glasses or contacts.
4. nothing lasts forever

We're in Canada and Dh is having it done next week. Costing CA3600 with a lifetime warranty (whatever that means). They guarantee him 20/20 vision and if it fails in the first year he gets a refund. He is taking 2 days off work. That's about all we know about it at this stage.

Sorry, he's doing it with LASIK, is mid 30s, has very bad vision, can't see at all without glasses/contacts

1. It's pretty unpleasant, but not painful - they put a huge amount of pressure on your eyeball to keep it motionless and that just doesn't feel nice. No pain at any point, though!
2. Serious complications are incredibly rare.
3. Hugely variable. Anything from just under a thousand to several thousand.
4. The risk of more severe complications is actually marginally higher if you are very young (eg late teens/very early 20s). Having your eyes done in your late 20s or your 30s is a good time, as you should have a few years of fantastic vision before old age sets in! In any event, if the operation is a bad idea for you at this point in time, you will be told that if you go somewhere good and are seen by someone who knows what they are talking about.
5. I had mine done at Centre for Sight (East Grinstead), by Mr Daya. You can't get better than that, although I'm sure you can get as good.
6. Nobody will ever promise you anything. If your eyes were stable prior to the operation, all the checks on your corneal health and thickness and other aspects of your eye and general health were done properly prior to going ahead, your eyes recover well and are stable in the first year after the operation, then you really should be able to rely on your vision remaining stable until age-related changes that happen to everyone set in, or until you get some unexpected eye disease... paying more to go to one of the places and people with the best reputation helps considerably reduce the risk of not getting the long-term result you hoped for.
7. Don't forget that there are far more common minor complications to laser eye surgery which you should be aware of. The most reputable centres will be better at screening for these risks and avoiding them, but no surgery and no surgeon can ever make an operation totally risk free. You are, after all, having a flap cut in your cornea and bits of it shaved off, if you are having lasik - and then putting steroid drops in your eyes for a month.

I just wanted to share some advice for those thinking of going ahead and having laser eye surgery.

I think one of the key misconceptions surrounding laser eye surgery is that all clinics are the same and it is only the price that varies. The most important thing when deciding on your clinic should definitely not be the price ? these are your eyes you are dealing with and so extremely important.

There is a lot to think about and the first thing to consider is that not all laser eye clinics are the same, the optometrists have varying experience and most importantly the technology that each clinic has available, varies dramatically.
Some clinics will only have the facilities to treat a small prescription, others much larger. For example Accuvision can treat prescriptions ranging from -14 to +8, a massive range ? this is due to their Wavelight allegretto laser platform, the most advanced technology available.

The first thing you should expect from your consultation is a thorough examination from a highly experienced optometrist. Once this has been done they should be able to advise you on the best course of treatment for your eyes.
Often surgeries agree to treat people that they shouldn?t because they don?t have the experience or the technology available to do a completely satisfactory job.

My top tips would be to thoroughly research all three areas ? diagnostics, consultation and the technology to see which surgery can provide the best in all three. Talk to as many other people that have had the surgery as possible, finally go for a consultation. At the consultation don?t feel pressured to sign up for the surgery, ask as many questions as possible, and if you don?t feel completely confident after this, then look elsewhere.

Hi CJ2010,
I had also been interested and considering laser eye surgery for some time and last year decided to go ahead and take the plunge. So thought I would share my experience with you.
It took a lot of time to research the right company I went for consultations at three clinics, two high street and one specialist clinic. And I was really glad I did. The difference between the clinics was massive. One of the high street clinic chains, while closer to home tried to push me to sign up for surgery before the consultation had even finished, and didn?t fully answer my queries. The second high street clinic went on about how they were the best and had the best lasers etc but again when I did a real search on the internet I came across some forums which really put me off. The number of complaints was too many for comfort.

In the end I did opt for the specialist clinic because they backed up the very thorough and informative consultation with genuine care and interest in me and my future vision. I checked the forums and the technology and that came out really well too so I decided to book with them and have never looked back.

It doesn?t hurt, it just feels uncomfortable for a short time, but it is over so quickly that you soon forget.

The clinic I went to was Accuvision and like so many other patients I met and spoke with, on the day of surgery and after when I attended check ups, I was so pleased not only with the results for my eyesight but also the real care and attention I received at every visit.

Worth the extra journey every time.

Prices vary on the high street - Accuvision are around £1,500 per eye.

In terms of going blind and the right age to have it done ? these are questions to ask at your consultation, and this should help you make your decision. If it is the right clinic they will answer your questions and put your mind at rest.

I had a friend whose boyfriend was an eye doctor in london hospital. he spent all day correcting cheap poorly done eye laser surgery
It should cost upward of £1500 per eye.
top tip however, tesco clubcard are linked with a good reputable company so you can get a decent whack of money saved using clubcard vouchers.
You can also get 0% interest credit payment plans.

I agree with all the procedural stuff already written
it changed my life (-7.25)
I was 32 when I had it done. Why oh why did i wait so long!