laser eye surgery or contacts lenses?

[anisabibi]

Hello, iv been wearing glasses for quite some years now and I'm now thinking about either having laser eye surgery or wearing contacts lenses. initially I wanted to ahead with buying daily contacts. until I came across a You tuber who had got laser eye surgery done with London eye clinic I was really interested and am trying to save up for it, a standard procedure cost around £4,500.

however in terms of contact lenses I don't know weather to buy daily contacts or just save up for the laser eye surgery or have both. I would rather want to save my money for something that will help me in the long term but iv heard that both laser eye surgery and contacts can reduce you eye sight from getting worse, better than glasses anyways

Can you get credit for it?

That's what I did 7 years ago. I finished paying it off 5 years ago and it paid for itself with the contacts prices I was I was paying before 18 months later. So it basically paid for itself within 3.5 years.

i would love laser eye surgery but my eyes are too bad to have it :(

also its worth remembering that many peoples eyes still deteriorate even after laser, i have 2 friends who both had theirs done 6 years ago, they had perfect vision for a while but now are back wearing specs (albeit with a lower prescription)

I usually sing the praises of laser eye surgery, I had it 5 years ago and it was amazing-totally worth it....however.... i am now back to wearing glasses as my eyes have deteriorated and one eye is back to the same prescription as before. I am the third person I’ve heard of recently to have to revert back to glasses and I just think that for the money I paid, £3800, it should
Have lasted longer (I am aware there is no guarantee for it)
I could be referred for further laser eye surgery but I Just can’t justify it

I would go for a laser surgery consultation first, there are a lot of factors that are checked to see if you are a suitable candidate (eg, thickness of your cornea) and if you aren't able to have it, that will make the decision for you anyway!
I had mine done nearly 15 years ago and have had better than 20/20 vision since then. I'm now mid-40s and just starting to notice the age-related deterioration starting. Laser surgery will not prevent this in any way so the chances are you will eventually need glasses again at some point. It's whether the years of being glasses/contact lens free are worth it to you.

shocking chester!! bet youre so annoyed :(

do you think contact lenses can deteriorate your eye sight as well just as laser eye surgery does?

@ChesterFuckingDraws that's shocking!! Have you returned to where you had the surgery to ask their opinion?

I don't know anyone who has regressed though. I had it done 7 years ago and I still have perfect vision. I expect I will need reading glasses at some stage, but as it paid for itself I'm not needing contacts (I couldn't wear glasses for short sightedness), I will just put up with that layer. Hopefully much later!

I am quite young so I can be off wearing glasses for quite a while. that's why I wanted to get it done ASAP

thanks for the helpful advice by the way

I would go for a laser surgery consultation first, there are a lot of factors that are checked to see if you are a suitable candidate (eg, thickness of your cornea) and if you aren't able to have it, that will make the decision for you anyway!
I had mine done nearly 15 years ago and have had better than 20/20 vision since then. I'm now mid-40s and just starting to notice the age-related deterioration starting. Laser surgery will not prevent this in any way so the chances are you will eventually need glasses again at some point. It's whether the years of being glasses/contact lens free are worth it to you.

I had laser surgery about 15 years ago. I was extremely short-sighted and had astigmatism in both eyes. Everything was wonderful for years until I turned 50 and now I have become long-sighted so need glasses for reading. I do not regret the years I had with perfect eye sight though and it is only because of my age that my sight has deteriorated.

I had mine done when I was young (22 with a stable prescription) at London vision clinic. I had -13 eyes with astigmatism and it literally changed my life. 10 years later it's still one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Why do you need daily lenses? I’m quite short sighted and have astigmatism and I use monthly disposables. These are £18/month including fluid and all eye checks. I can honestly say that it’s the best £18 I spend, they have changed my life. Compared to glasses they are amazing and if your eyesight deteriorates or changes it is easy to change lenses. I’ve heard of so many people who’ve had laser surgery only for them to require glasses after a few years.

@SueSueDonnahue i had them carry out my eye test although I already knew I was needing glasses again! Unfortunately they do not give any guarantees for how long it will last (which I already knew) and some people just don’t get the same results as others despite having a stable prescription for 2 years prior to having it done.

It such a lot of money to spend and not be sure how well it will last.

This is an alternative solution as well. Contact that correct your eyes why you are sleeping and you take them out during the day. Don't know anyone who has done it though.

www.eyesite.co.uk/contact-lenses/eyedream-vision-correction

Oh that's a shame chester. But yes, it is a risk.

But so are long term contact lenses in terms of risk. I got an awful awful infection from wearing monthly ones once. It was so painful and I had to keep trudging back to the eye clinic.

I envy DH sooooooo much. He has 20/20 vision naturally, and still does in his mid 40s 😬 Thank god he appears to have passed in his "good eye genes" to our kids though.

OP do you know your approx prescription/level of correction? I would always say CLs before lazer. Id also say, if possible go through a private NHS facility such as moorfields or manchester eye hospital not one of the high street brands. If it goes wrong there may be no going back.

Definitely look into the Eyedream (OrthoK) option if you're unsure - I've been wearing them for a few years now and love them. I pop them in at bedtime, use a couple of drops in the morning before I take them out and then I'm sorted with perfect vision for the day. At my last checkup my distance vision is better than it ever was (including with glasses/lenses). For prescriptions below about -5 they are a good 'compromise' option between standard lenses and laser.

Eyedream sounds interesting!

I've worn glasses for 25 years and the thought of surgery freaks me out. I won't do it.

I used wear daily contact lenses and they were fine, although as I got older I found my eyes would get increasingly dry as the day went on. I had laser surgery three years ago and it has been incredible - no more faffing about with contacts, can go swimming and wear sunglasses without the extra hassle. My husband, sister and mother have all had it. It has been a positive experience for all of us.

The clinic was clear that I would need reading glasses in ten years or so (ie around age 50) when I had the surgery - but I would need them whether i had surgery or not, and would have had to wear bifocals without it (not appealing !)

what is Eyedream?

I've heard lens implants are the way to go, rather than laser surgery.

more - implants have significantly higher risks than laser surgery. Because you're inserting something into the eye, the risk of serious sight threatening infection is much higher.

OP - why don't you go and get a contact lens fitting? They'll give you a few pairs to try out anyway and then you can decide. Neither contact lenses or laser surgery make your eyes deteriorate more quickly, but laser surgery doesn't stop your eyes getting worse, so if you're still at the stage where your prescription is getting worse, hold off a few years until it stabilises. Ortho k is good too if your prescription is under -5 and you have low astigmatism.

implants or IOLs (intra ocular implants) are definitely not the way to go !

The best way to go is that which is the least invasive.

That's interesting; hadn't heard about that - mind you, it's not something I know much about at all.

I had mine sone 7 years ago and it has been amazing. My sight is as good today as it was the day after the surgery and the clinic offer a lifetime guarantee that they will re-do it if you become short-sighted again. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I also got it on interest-free credit and it was done at a Harley Street clinic by a former Moorfields surgeon. I've saved loads on contacts and glasses in that time.