Help needed re: LASER EYE TREATMENT

[ZipadiSoozi]

Anybody had Laser eye treatment, if so any tips, I'm thinking seriously about it, have sent off for lots of info from top 5 companies.

My questions would be:

How Much?
Is aftercare free, and for how long?
Is it painful?
How long does it take?
How long before you see results?
Any lasting side-effects?

Good idea or Bad????????

That's my greatest fear - the risk of corneal instability post-surgery (and this can happen many years later, not just within the first year or two), resulting in the cornea thinning and bulging in places, causing irregular astigmatism which can't be corrected by wearing glasses (you need something, eg a hard contact lens, to try to keep the bulging under control, or in a really bad case of it, a corneal transplant). I had to be happy with myself that I had considered that, albeit apparently exceptionally rare risk, and imagined myself having to deal with it, before I went ahead with the surgery. Modern techniques, using only lasers (they used to cut the flaps mechanically) and going to a place that uses the latest lasers, really reduces the amount of tissue that is cut into and lasered off, so reducing the risk of an unstable cornea. So, another thing to check is how up to date the equipment is in the place you are having your eyes done! I think there is a better understanding of this risk now than there was 10 years ago (hence all the checks for corneal thickness, and changes in opinion on what is a reasonably safe thickness of cornea to leave behind), but I don't think all the risk factors and causes are fully understood, so it can't be guarded against 100% if you choose to have the surgery. The older you are, the better, though, I think - apparently you are statistically more likely to have this problem if you have it done in your very early 20s.

I had surgery about 18 months ago - i had got to the point where i couldnt wear contacts any more and HAD to wear glasses all the time - although i didnt mind my glasses i hated wearing them all the time - sport was made very difficult.

I had the op done and it cost about £3700.00 - aftercare lasted a year and they offered no payments for 12 months then interest free credit if required.

The op was horrible - i went into shock and really didnt want the 2nd eye doing - i found it painful and pretty gruesome.

My eyes were very sore for the rest of that day - they streamed with water and i couldnt see a thing - i went to bed at 8pm that night and when i woke the next day i had 20/20 vision. I have had some dryness but now 18 months on my eyes are fine - i LOVE not wearing glasses or contacts and am really pleased i had it done.

I do hope my eyes dont deteriorate with old age as i wouldnt want to go back to glasses.

I would say go for it!

I gather from alot of posts, such varied and individual experiences, scarring on the eyeball sounds scarey.

I realise I may have to have more time off work as I'm a Swimming Instructor, I don't have to get in the water everyday though.

The info has started to arrive in the post, so I have alot of reading to do and decision making.

Keep the experiences coming, its all helping thank you!

I had mine done 18 months ago. Best thing I ever did. I can see much better in the dark now. I paid £3500- it was interest free over 10 months with Optical Express.

Scarring is an extremely unlikely eventuality, fortunately. Apparently, the risk of a serious infection following laser eye surgery is lower than the risk of getting a serious eye infection from long term contact lens use. And as saffy202 said, it is possible to end up with better, rather than worse, night vision, after laser eye surgery, if using wavefront technology (although this is not guaranteed - you could pay more for wavefront and still end up with worse night vision, or the same as before, as pupil size is not the only risk factor for this happening). There is also the possibility of problems with the flap created in lasik/intralasik procedures. Again, these are very rare risks, but with a prescription of less than about -6 dioptres, there are alternatives to lasik that don't involve creating a flap in your cornea (generally more painful with a longer healing period, hence being far less popular, but potentially a better idea for some people, particularly anyone who enjoys contact sports, where there is the possibility of the flap becoming dislodged, even years later). There are also other alternatives to laser eye surgery that can free you from wearing contact lenses or glasses, but these carry their own separate risks, so probably aren't a brilliant alternative if you are suitable for laser treatment.

The vast majority of people who have laser eye surgery don't regret it. Many of those who do regret it didn't make themselves properly aware of the risks and complications before going ahead with it, and end up upset that they weren't given more warning when they do end up having problems (despite the fact all the information on laser eye surgery that you could possibly want, good, bad and exceedingly ugly, is freely available on the internet). In fact, I think one of the biggest criticisms of some of the bigger providers of laser eye surgery is their reticence in pointing out what the risks are and how these can actually impact on your life...

I still wouldn't want anyone other than a highly-regarded corneal eye surgeon with a proven track record in successful laser eye surgery, the latest equipment and exceptionally low retreatment rates, touching my eyes, though. And I'd expect said surgeon to have seen me and my test results, and examined my eyes himself, and answered all my questions and concerns thoroughly, at the initial consultation (ie prior to the day of actual treatment), and I'd expect to see him (and I don't mean in passing) at all my after care appointments, too. Not that I'm a broken record or anything!

I would echo everyone who says find a reputable surgeon. We recently had a patient in our practice who was booked for her procedure with a "budget" chain but the clinic cancelled her appointment at the last minute. She wasn't impressed with them and went to a well-known experienced surgeon instead who told her she had an eye condition which contra-indicated the procedure. Don't skimp on your eyes!

I too would love to have laser surgery. I have worn glasses since I was 5. I had lenses at 11, but now at 39, can only wear them a couple of days a week which is a pita. I like my glasses, but don't find them that pratical with a 2 year old.

The only problem is I have a high prescription minus 11 or 12.

Has anyone had treatment on such a high prescription?

The other option I have heard about is lens replacement surgery. Anyone had that??

Thanks

Yes I paid extra for Wavefront - I hummed and hawed about the extra cost but it was worth it for me - had previously tried to flag tractors down in the dark thinking they were buses lol

Sexonlegs - my friend was minus 11 so replacement lenses were the only option to her - but they were something like £6000 per eye She was booked in for one eye but the consultant kept cancelling on her and in the end she just lost faith in him

It is sometimes possible to have intralasik for a prescription of up to about -12, if, amongst other things, your corneas are thick enough to cope with that much tissue being removed. The risk of things going wrong, or just not getting a full correction, is obviously far greater with a prescription that high, so you should make sure you have your eyes checked extremely carefully before you agree to going ahead.

An alternative possibility would be an implantable contact lens of some sort. I think there is a slightly increased risk of infection from this procedure, compared to laser eye surgery where the risk is exceptionally low, and it can increase the risk of early/earlier cataract formation - or at least, that's what I remember from my research. Other than that, I don't know much about it - ie don't know anyone who's had it done and didn't need to go down that route myself. It is a reversible procedure, though, unlike laser treatment.

In older people, who may already be forming cataracts, it is possible to have refractive lens exchange surgery - ie replace the natural lens of the eye with man-made lenses.

The alternatives are, obviously, more expensive than laser eye surgery...

If you live anywhere near London/the South East, I would recommend Mr Daya at Centre for Sight in East Grinstead, if you're considering laser surgery for eyesight that bad!!! Centre for Sight does also offer the alternative treatments. The consultants who work there are corneal eye surgeons based at the Queen Victoria Hospital and have a world class reputation. They are good at dealing with eyes that other people have already messed up or that other people won't treat in the first place, so you'd know if they won't do laser eye surgery on you that you're not going to find anyone reputable to do it for you!

just want to add i would never ever ever recommend corneal grafts - not ever, dont consider this option ive only ever seen problems with these - and i mean really nasty problems.

if your eyesight is that bad get a referral to a hospital eye surgeon on the nhs - they can look at implants or similar - less risky and can be done on the nhs in some cases.

no idea who im addressing that too but just in case anyone starts to google....avoid avoid avoid corneal grafts at all cost!

there is a difference between implants and grafts. implants - ok. grafts - not ok!

implants can be done at any age and it is the same procedure as the elderly have done when they have cataract surgery thats true - but it can be done for very poor sight also in some cases and can be done on the nhs in SOME cases.

really people - dont risk your eyes - look at all the options and really fully investigate what is open to you, but dont go for implantable contact lenses.

they are bad news - at least the only people ive seen with them have had major and horrible problems afterwards.

I think about laser eye treatment occasionally but with a -10.25 prescription I am scared of something going wrong. As my eyes are fine with contact lenses at the moment, I am fine with that, although it would be lovely to not need to know where my glasses are so I can find them in the morning, and not needing to rely on a child to find them if I have knocked them off the table in the night.

Sexonlegs, I don't think I have "met" anyone with sight worse than mine. I never really find mine that bad; would just love to be able to see more than a blur with no lenses/glasses.

Thanks all. Some really good advice and info there.

Will think on. Actually have an appointment at the opticians this morning to try out some new lenses, which will hopefully enable me to wear them for more than a day or 2.

wouldn't recommend lens substitution. no way. After cataract surgery in both eyes (and formally being very short sighted) I can't imagine why people would do this out of choice. I've had multiple complications caused by my young age and high prescription. I can't drive and really struggle with my eyesight, it has changed a lot of my life.

formally? meant formerly!!

I agree strongly with those who say that, if you aren't that unhappy with the status quo, then don't go changing it. And if you are unhappy, don't fail to take the risks of the alternatives to glasses seriously. Any of the procedures can work and result in one happy individual with no regrets as to their choices - but you have to be aware it might not go that way for you and having your vision ruined or your eyes made unbearably uncomfortable, can ruin your life, so even a small risk of something awful happening should be considered seriously. And also, you have an entire lifetime for things to go wrong - they won't necessarily go wrong immediately after surgery.

Having said that, I think some people paint an extremely negative picture - I clearly remember a hospital opthalmologist warning me strongly off soft contact lenses, which I was considering at the time, because they cause such awful problems. I could have pointed out to her that they actually only rarely cause serious problems, it's just that she only gets to see the problems... No-one sees a consultant opthalmologist to admire their wonderful contact lenses that cause them no problems, after all.

Wow - I've never heard of people getting corneal grafts.

a woman at a practice i worked in had some kind of lens grafted onto her eyes - they caused frequent episodes of iritis - they were so badly done - one of them had sort of 'slipped' - she had paid a fortune to a surgeon from overseas who had travelled to London. she ended up having to be referred to an NHS consultant who said he would have corrected her sight on the NHS if she had only gone to him in the first place.