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Laser Eye Surgery
- Thread starter Tarpon
- Start date
jonny.rainbow
Well-known member
- Oct 29, 2005
- 6,844
A quick Google search would suggest most places do two for the price of one.
Have you tried shutting your eyes and then opening them again?
FatSuperman
Well-known member
- Feb 25, 2016
- 2,922
[MENTION=28372]Tarpon[/MENTION] Ah I might need to get the laptop out as there is quite a bit to say.
In short I got mine done about 6 or 7 years ago with vision express. I did it for sports rather than anything else and frankly for me, it wasn't earth shattering like some people say. It's a much starker difference if you are short sighted, the worse you are, the better you'll feel about the results I'd imagine. My defect was astigmatism, not distance.
Nevertheless I'm glad I did it, gave me one less excuse for being shit at footie.
I can't recall how much it cost, but was several grand - the initial price is reasonable sounding, but then you have options (mechanical blade or laser to make the cut), custom waveform blah blah to give you better than perfect vision etc. My reasoning was if. I'm doing this I may as well get the best I can.
Experience wise it was all good, this country is one of the best in the world for laser surgery, they pioneer things here (due to lax regulations!) and the whole thing was very quick and painless (except for the cost)
In short I got mine done about 6 or 7 years ago with vision express. I did it for sports rather than anything else and frankly for me, it wasn't earth shattering like some people say. It's a much starker difference if you are short sighted, the worse you are, the better you'll feel about the results I'd imagine. My defect was astigmatism, not distance.
Nevertheless I'm glad I did it, gave me one less excuse for being shit at footie.
I can't recall how much it cost, but was several grand - the initial price is reasonable sounding, but then you have options (mechanical blade or laser to make the cut), custom waveform blah blah to give you better than perfect vision etc. My reasoning was if. I'm doing this I may as well get the best I can.
Experience wise it was all good, this country is one of the best in the world for laser surgery, they pioneer things here (due to lax regulations!) and the whole thing was very quick and painless (except for the cost)
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,351
I was told ages ago (without even having asked) that my eyes were not suitable for either laser surgery or contact lenses. Don't know why, but it's obviously not for everyone.
FatSuperman
Well-known member
- Feb 25, 2016
- 2,922
Years ago you couldn't get contacts or laser surgery if you had astigmatism, that has changed though and as far as I know unless you've got a very weird condition, you can have both. I assume you aren't blind? Definitely not worth doing if you're blind.
[MENTION=28372]Tarpon[/MENTION] the procedure involves a flap being cut into the lens of your eye, a blade can do that but there is a very small risk of infection, with a laser cut there is zero risk. Infection can lead to blindness. I figured it best to not mess about
[MENTION=28372]Tarpon[/MENTION] the procedure involves a flap being cut into the lens of your eye, a blade can do that but there is a very small risk of infection, with a laser cut there is zero risk. Infection can lead to blindness. I figured it best to not mess about
Did it 10 years ago to correct short-sightedness (prescription was -4.5). Life-changing, after 20 years of glasses and lenses to be free of them for sport (especially in the rain), driving, watching tv etc was just amazing.
Consultation was great, explained the process, assessed suitability (my prescription had been stable for several years) and I booked in. On the day, eye drops for anaesthetic, in for the op, over in minutes (nothing more than mild discomfort)
Immediately afterwards (and I mean immediately), was sat in the waiting room (they make you wait an hour to make sure everything is ok), through the temporary 'fog' I could read the posters on the wall. It was incredible. Felt a bit groggy for half a day, but was fine the day after.
A week of regular eye drops, consultations after one day, one week and one month and all done. I had to wear eye guards when in bed for a week (just to avoid inadvertent scratching until the surface had healed)
I now need reading glasses (they said I would, that's normal) but my long distance vision is still better than 20/20
Wish I'd had it years earlier. I used Ultralase, clinic was in Hammersmith. Consultant told me I was his 13,000+ punter. Cost if I remember correctly was about £3000 (lasik - small incision 'flap' to expose the eye properly, a few very short blasts with the laser and then the window of skin stuck back down)
happypig
Staring at the rude boys
I've considered it so I asked a friend who was a sister in the eye clinic about it & she said that all the consultants there wear glasses, the reason being that they don't yet know what the effects of it will be in old age and whether intervention for things like cataracts will be possible. Their view was they'd rather a lifetime of glasses than serious problems or even blindness in extreme old age.
I'm still thinking about it as I've been told that what they thought was high intra-ocular pressure (a possible sign of glaucoma) was cause by me having thicker corneas than normal.
I'm still thinking about it as I've been told that what they thought was high intra-ocular pressure (a possible sign of glaucoma) was cause by me having thicker corneas than normal.
FatSuperman
Well-known member
- Feb 25, 2016
- 2,922
This is what everyone that I know says to me about it, except 1 guy at work who had astigmatism- he was a bit 'meh' like me. It is remarkable how it works though, few minutes in a room, next to the loudest sounding laser ever, then you are fixed!
....not forgetting the fairly fleeting smell of burning flesh !
crookie
Well-known member
Had mine done about 10 years ago, optical express. Consultation in London, there were fewer local branches doing it then, surgery in a Harley Street surgery. Was £395 for 1 eye and £795 for the other as that had worse vision. Bit uncomfortable straight after but pretty good after a few hours kip. Check up next morning and a few weeks later, all ok and have had no issues since. Best £1200 I've ever spent. Great for sport, driving, watching telly etc. I'd go for it if I were you
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Jam The Man
Well-known member
I had mine done in 2002.One of the best things I've ever done. Back then it cost me about £1000 and within 24 hours I was driving without glasses.
Zero pain involved, just minor discomfort when my eyelids had to be clamped open obviously!
Had my first eye check last Christmas, 13 years after the op and still had vision just shy of 20:20.
I fully expect to have to wear glasses again some day but not for another decade or so yet hopefully
Zero pain involved, just minor discomfort when my eyelids had to be clamped open obviously!
Had my first eye check last Christmas, 13 years after the op and still had vision just shy of 20:20.
I fully expect to have to wear glasses again some day but not for another decade or so yet hopefully
Arthur
Well-known member
Echo what everyone else says. Had mine done 8 years ago. I needed glasses/contacts to get by in life. Cost me £4kish (think one eye was £2.5k and the other roughly £1.5k). Had LASIK (I think, the laser cutting one rather than the scalpel) and had an afternoon of uncomfortableness when the local wore off but I went and had a nap, woke up and had better than 20/20 vision.
The procedure is odd more than anything. I had 19 seconds on each eye to make the cut, then 29 seconds to perform the op. Worse bit is the smell as it does smell like burning and then the lens of eye gets flipped over and you can just make out shapes and colours. Certainly doesn't hurt.
The procedure is odd more than anything. I had 19 seconds on each eye to make the cut, then 29 seconds to perform the op. Worse bit is the smell as it does smell like burning and then the lens of eye gets flipped over and you can just make out shapes and colours. Certainly doesn't hurt.
The Maharajah of Sydney
Well-known member
My Dad had his eyes lasered when he was 75.
Missing the motorway exits in UK & France as they flashed past in a blur forced the issue for him.
There was a gap of a few months between operating on each eye - a safety measure I guess.
Operation was a stunning success as he reckoned he could see as clearly as when he was a 10-year old child.
That was 10 years ago now and I think he paid close to £5k for it.
As has been mentioned earlier, not everybody can avail themselves to having this procedure as around 20% of the population's eyesight isn't compatible for this type of surgery.
Missing the motorway exits in UK & France as they flashed past in a blur forced the issue for him.
There was a gap of a few months between operating on each eye - a safety measure I guess.
Operation was a stunning success as he reckoned he could see as clearly as when he was a 10-year old child.
That was 10 years ago now and I think he paid close to £5k for it.
As has been mentioned earlier, not everybody can avail themselves to having this procedure as around 20% of the population's eyesight isn't compatible for this type of surgery.
OzMike
Well-known member
I was informed that it works better for people who struggle seeing this at distance but not so well for trouble with reading etc.
Also, the older you are the less effective it is and doesn't last as long, as the eyes are already in a deteriorating state.
Also, the older you are the less effective it is and doesn't last as long, as the eyes are already in a deteriorating state.
My friend got it dnoe. She couldn't see her glasses at the side of her bed in the morning, her eyesight was so bad.
Best thing that ever happened to her. That was 10 years ago but apparently it needs doing again now but this time it is not covered by the National Health so she needs to go Private but even then she says it 100% worthwhile and plans to get it done again soon , this time paying privately so apparently the corrected surgery in not permanent
Best thing that ever happened to her. That was 10 years ago but apparently it needs doing again now but this time it is not covered by the National Health so she needs to go Private but even then she says it 100% worthwhile and plans to get it done again soon , this time paying privately so apparently the corrected surgery in not permanent
Whitterz
Mmmmm? Marvellous
I had it done in 2008. The day before we played Stockport County at Withdean, in the game that would keep us in the division.
I had perfect vision after the treatment. It has probably dropped off a little bit now, but it's still nearly perfect. That's not saying that I won't need reading glasses at some stage in the future, as the eyes naturally deteripate through age. Recommended
I had perfect vision after the treatment. It has probably dropped off a little bit now, but it's still nearly perfect. That's not saying that I won't need reading glasses at some stage in the future, as the eyes naturally deteripate through age. Recommended
HastingsSeagull
Well-known member
Been seriously considering this aged 33 and can certainly not see my glasses on the table next to me often. So how come for someone it was on the NHS? Any more info on that?
I'd echo a lot of the sentiment on here. I had mine done in 2004 while I was living in India. £335 all in. Bargain. Best money I have ever spent, EVER. In terms of discomfort I would equate it to a trip to the dentist. Not actually painful but mildly discomfiting. The smell of your own eye burning sounds gross but everybody loves the smell of a BBQ, right? Your eyes will stream like billy-o for an hour or two after but that's nature's way of starting the healing process. My wife thought I had gone a little bit mad when I woke up the following morning and spent an age just admiring the leaves in the trees. I could make out leaves! Then everything crisped up and peripheral vision improved over the next few weeks.