Laser eye surgery

[Textilemadmum]

Has anyone had Laser eye surgery recently? I am considering this and would like to hear experiences good and bad!

I had it with Ultralase when I was 22 (now 28). Am back wearing glasses and contacts full time. It was great for a year/eighteen months but then wasn't so good.

Their 'life time guarantee' certificate isn't worth the paper its written on, there are so many get out clauses for them. When I tried to sort it out, they used so many delaying tactics, kept cancelling my appointments, stringing it out. I stopped going back in the end. Waste of almost £3000.

Yes, my DH has. He had worn glasses from a very young age prior to that. It was very successful. He is really glad he had it done.

It is quite painful though and you definitely need someone at home with you for at least the first three days as you need to take quite a lot of medication/eye drops. They didn't make that very clear!!!

I had it in 2005 back to wearing contacts this year ! Was great for a few years !!

I had 'blended' lasik laser surgery done in August 2011. I am 50 yrs old and I tried to have it done in the UK but they refused as they said my eyes were too dry. I eventually had it done in Switzerland where they didn't mention dry eyes and recommended 'blended' surgery - because of my age (over 40 when everyone needs reading glasses!). One eye sees distance, the other sees close up. I don't have 20/20 vision but it's great not to have to wear glasses at all except for things like trying to thread an embroidery needle if there's not much light, etc. Check out myeyebook.co.uk. Recovery was more painful than I was expecting but improved by the hour and by the following day it was more or less OK. They told me I will need reading glasses in the future as the close up vision deteriorates naturally. All the very best if you decide to go ahead!

I had my eyes treated for short sight with an astigmatism in 2001.

All is still fine now. I am 44so am expecting to need reading glasses in the next few years, but even so it has been worth it after wearing specs since childhood.

I was a bit scared, but the staff were very good and it was quick. For a few hours after my eyes were incredibly sensitive, I had to put my coat over my head for the car journey home. After a nap I could see, and the pain was gone.

Yes, eye drops for a few days, but no biggy

What prescription are you?
Even now its significantly more sucessful for myopes (shortsighted people with a minus sign in their prescription).
It cannot stop your prescription deteriorating naturally, so if your prescription changes significantly at eye eye exam, don't have it done yet.
The most up to date method using a femtosecond laser (which also creates the flap) has reduced the incidence of complications dramatically.
Most people do experience some dryness and some have recuced night vision.
If you're over -2.00 and under 35 it definately worth it. If you're over 40 and under -2.00 its not as beneficial as you will end up losing your close vision but gaining distance vision.
The sucess rate is still very surgeon dependent, so you want to go with someone who has done over 250 procedures.
If i was over -3.00 (I'm currently 37) I would have it done myself, I'm an optometrist.

I had lazik wavefront or sine such procedure done at ultralase in 2006. It was painless, quick and had immediate effect.

It's still all good and I'm so glad I had it done.

*some not sine

I had my eyes lasered in 1995, I was around -2.75 and my distance vision is still perfect now. I am now 42 (was 25 at the time of surgery) and am just starting to lose my close up 'sharpness' but my job doesn't help......

I used Optimax in Bristol and it was totally worth it for me.

I had my eyes done 5 years ago. I would highly recommend it. Quick, painless and effective. It won't last forever but worth it. I used Optical Express. It cost £2000. The price varies according to your prescription. Beware the contract - scariest thing I ever read I actually forget I wore glasses from time to time.

I had mine done 3 years ago and haven't regretted it at all, yet! I was -6 in each eye and my prescription hadn't changed in years. Don't get it done if your prescription is not stable, that would be silly (and no centre ought to allow you to get it done if it hasn't been stable for at least 2 years, or something like that....). I have also been told somewhere that if you are very young, the result can be less predictable (I think ultraviolet light exposure, which is inevitable with ageing, can affect the flexibility of the cornea or something, making it react more predictably to being cut into and thinned... so an older cornea is more predictable for a less experienced surgeon....). And make sure you really understand what you are letting yourself in for, so that you don't get upset about something later on that you were warned about but didn't take seriously in advance.

Basically, go somewhere with the latest technology (there are all sorts of checks that can be done to limit the degree of unpredictability to the absolute minimum), an excellent reputation, all surgeons with an excellent reputation who are willing to sit down and talk to you and not pressure you into making up your mind, and with excellent aftercare... even if it costs you a lot more than elsewhere...

thanks everyone for your help.
Haven't decided yet

Thinking of having it done myself but I'm still so unsure. I am so scared that something bad will happen after the procedure and I will be forever in regret.

I had it done at Optimax in Manchester 10 years ago. Was -6 in both eyes, now have 20:20 vision, so very happy with the outcome.
Recently had an eye test and the optician said that if he'd seen many people with results like mine he would consider having it done himself. (So he was basically a sceptic).
As others have said, recovery was a lot more painful than they had implied (and I think I generally have quite a high pain threshold), you are not guaranteed 20:20 vision, so you have to be prepared to accept less than that if that's how things end up.
There are some brilliant things though: I lived by the sea at the time and cannot think of any agony equivalent to getting a grain of sand under your contact lens on a windy day. This will never happen to me again!

My friend had it done at Optimax about 7 years ago and regretted it ever since. Since the procedure she has had constant dry, gritty eyes which have to be bathed twice a day. Night vision is dreadful with halos, starbursts and terrible glare which causes severe headaches. Also very poor vision in certain daylight conditions too. Is now trying to pluck up the courage to get further laser surgery done to try minimise the problems but has been told a procedure is needed first to correct the dry eyes as she's not producing enough tears before the corrective treatment can be done. I think the risks can be very much under-played.

Go to one of the places that has a reputation for fixing other centres' mistakes...
I think the risks can indeed be underplayed, as can the fact that some places have a far better reputation than others.
I went to Centre for Sight in East Grinstead, and was reassured by the fact that one of its surgeons actually had his eyes done there, despite being an expert on the cornea... I thought if he could entertain the prospect of having his own corneas lasered by his colleagues, rather than just taking money off other people to do it to them, that must be a good sign!!!

(Or extreme marketing!!! )

Dp had it done at optical express last oct and wishes he'd braved it years ago.

Had laser surgery at Ultralase in Leeds in 2001 and it's the best thing I ever did. I was -7.5 in one eye and -6.75 in the other, plus had astigmatism. Never had any pain at all - by next morning had perfect eyesight, and 11 years down the line it is still perfect! I'm 45 now and hating the thought of needing reading glasses at some point in the future, as from age of 11 - 34 wore glasses.

If you're long sighted (over +3) a lot of places won't do it until you're over 35 (god knows why), and +5 is the limit for laser eye surgery at the moment.

:(