Laser Eye Surgery

hshortt

incisor71 wrote:

That comes as a major relief! I was on to the Wellington clinic just today to organise a checkup for enhancement surgery, as my right eye still has a -1.00 astigmatism, and vision is noticeably more blurry than the left when I try looking through each eye alternately (as one tends to do when monitoring the progress of eye surgery).

I know exactly how you feel, listen I was minus 7.75 in the left and minus 8.75 in the right. The Wellington clinic know how to put you at ease and they are completely professional. I was the same with my left eye being a little less clear that the right, for me it was looking at car reg plates while driving and reading them with the left then right eye, this was my own little test.

Cheerio
Howard

incisor71

JohnK wrote:

Thats how it is in Optilase. If its done within the year its covered otherwise you have to pay again. I'm sure there are one or two other conditions aswell though.

This is on the Wellington Eye Clinic's home page:

We offer a lifetime warranty on the surgery. If your vision regresses and you need further laser surgery in the future at any time, there are no further costs. Saving YOU money. Giving YOU peace of mind.

Sounds like they've changed their minds since last year! (But is there a catch??)

JohnK

That does sound good alright. Although, being Ireland there probably is a catch somewhere.

hshortt

Popped into Specsavers in the Square today to get them off my back with the flippin' reminders. I had a giggle as they dug out my old prescription and then asked me if I was wearing my contacts! 20/20 Vision. It's nice to get this in addition to the clinic.

Cheerio
Howard

KlodaX

JohnK wrote:

Why is that?

Dunno ... I suppose cause the poster of that had only 3 posts and was banned. Plus what they typed sounded like perfect advertisment, nothing objective. Saying that I called optiliase to find out a few things, even though I've been waiting for 8 months I'm not tied into a contract and if I deside not to go ahead with it I'm not charged for any previous consultations and I've had 2 already because the tests of one came out wrong *I was focusing too ####### the red dot on one of the tests to make it perfect!* so they brough me up again. I'm feeling confident in Optiliase ... I'll post an outcome after the op.

JohnK

Ah, I hadn't seen the banned bit although to be fair what they said about optilase seems spot on.

Deline

I found this Forum very useful when I was considering surgery. Thought I'd give something back.
I had Lasek done on both eyes on 13/07/06 in Optilase. I had my first appointment in February and had to have follow up visits to ensure my suitability. I think I got lucky with my surgery date. I had an appointment the Sunday before and they gave me the appointment for the following Thursday.

Although the surgeon was a little abrupt (the case with a lot of doctors) the staff were always nice and reassuring. I had a check up a couple of days ago. My eyes still have a bit to heal but are healing well. My vision is fluctuating - sometimes my right eye is perfect sometimes my left. I can drive with no problems - in fact I can now see more than I could even with my glasses. As far as I'm concerned going for the cheaper clinic was a good option for me.

As I (hopefully) won't need this forum again if you have any questions you can email me at X00001938@itnet.ie.

JohnK

I had my 6 week check-up today. Everything’s grand and I was told that I'm about -0.25 in each eye (from about -4 & -4.25) which they say is about the best you can get. The blurriness I had experienced seems to have cleared up and I was able to read more of the eye chart today so my vision had improved a bit since the last check-up. My eyes rarely feel dry anymore so I’m almost free from the artificial tears. My eyes do feel a bit gritty from time to time but its nothing major. I think that’s about it. I have another check-up in September but my eyes should have settled by now so I think that check-up is really just to make sure my eyes haven’t fallen out or something. Oh, and the best thing is I got my cheque from Vivas today for €1,000 . This means that my eyes now only cost €1,990 in total to get done. Not bad eh?

incisor71

JohnK wrote:

My eyes rarely feel dry anymore so I’m almost free from the artificial tears. My eyes do feel a bit gritty from time to time but its nothing major.

Glad to hear you're progressing nicely.

It's nearly a year since my eyes were done and they're still dry in the night and when I wake up, but I suspect that's just from a general lack of proper sleep!!

JohnK wrote:

Oh, and the best thing is I got my cheque from Vivas today for €1,000 . This means that my eyes now only cost €1,990 in total to get done. Not bad eh?

And my eyes cost me EUR2,412 in total (thanks to MED-1 tax relief) - not bad considering the original sum paid to the Wellington was EUR4100. What a nice feeling. I wonder if prices will start to drop, given the rising popularity and increased reliability of the surgery..??

mikemac

Wow, is this thread still going?

Delighted it went well for you John K
I have one eye at 0 and the other at -.25.
As you said, you can't realy get better then that

It's great getting the cheque back from Vivas. Am going to wait until the end of the year until I fill up my Med-1 form. Yet more cash-back:)

incisor71

micmclo wrote:

Am going to wait until the end of the year until I fill up my Med-1 form. Yet more cash-back:)

Have to say this seems like a dodgy thing to do. Check what the declarations on the MED-1 form says about this:

I declare:
• that all particulars stated on this form are complete, true and correct
• that I have paid all expenses claimed and I hold receipts for all expenses which are available for inspection
• that I have not claimed, and I will not at any future time claim from any person a refund of any expenses claimed on this form, and
• to the best of my knowledge no part of these expenses will be voluntarily reimbursed to me.

... the "claim from any person" bit stuck out!

Probably best to ask your accountant or tax advisor if you're not sure.

JohnK

I think that only applys to exactly what you are claiming back for. So, if you try claim the tax back on the €1,000 that Vivas paid then theyd come after you but I think you can still claim the tax back on the remaining €2,000. Thats what I understood from it anyway.

mikemac

Good point incisor71, I didn't notice that. Not trying anything dodgey.

The €1000 was to pay for the wavefront option. I probably wouldn't have had wavefront if I had to pay €1000 for it
Think of it as a free upgrade paid by Vivas

The €2000 is what I'll be claiming tax back on.

hi i got LASEK 10 days ago standard not wavefront,my eyesight is very good,however lookin at roadsigns etc the letters kinda double up has anyone else noticed this?it doesnt really happen on the pc monitor but if i put my eyedrops in while lookin at the monitor the screen comes crystal clear!does anyopne know if it shud get more better after ten days or?

JohnK

10 days is still very soon and your eyes are still healing so I wouldnt worry about it. However if you are concerned then you can always contact the clinic or hospital that did the procedure.

well i got my 2 week check up in optilase this week so ill find out more this week!maybe i shud get more sleep too and let it heal properly thanks

JohnK

Sleep is important because if your tired then your eyes are tired so they wont heal as fast. When you go for your checkup make sure you ask them about anything that concerns you, they're there to help and can only do their job if you keep them informed

Ardent

John,

How do you find working with a PC monitor now, are you still getting headaches? I'm pencilled in for surgery with Optilase on Monday morning, I'm taking a week off work, hope it's enough to recover.

incisor71

Deleted User wrote:

if i put my eyedrops in while lookin at the monitor the screen comes crystal clear!does anyopne know if it shud get more better after ten days or?

Ten days is a very short space of time, it took a couple of months for my dry eye symptoms to ease so you'll need to keep drops on the ready wherever you go.

It was explained to me that the cornea is a layered structure, and it takes time for the nerve endings (severed as part of the flap-cutting process) to reinstate themselves and restore the correct level of tear production. Correct lubrication levels in the eyes are absolutely essential for correct functioning of the cornea and for proper vision, and this lubrication will need to be manually administered for the first couple of months after surgery.

Are you taking flaxseed oil capsules, or the bottled version of flaxseed oil? This was recommended to me at surgery time to aid restoration of normal tear production. However, within the last three months, and with the clinic's approval, I switched to Udo's Choice oil blend, which is superior to flaxseed oil alone, and the optometrist noticed a marked improvement in my eyesight since the last visit (my right eye is still evolving towards the optimum point, and has apparently come a long way since I started taking Udo's oil). It's been close to 10 months since my surgery.

Udo's Choice doesn't taste the best, but the eyes aren't the only organs that'll benefit [no lewd side-thoughts please ].

Ardent, I resumed use of a PC monitor about 5 days after surgery, as my livelihood depends on it. My eyesight fluctuated in a rather unpredictable and somewhat disconcerting fashion, so I made sure to have the prescribed antibiotic drops and lubricating drops (Maxitrol) on the ready. Ask the surgeon when you would be ready to use Systane - it's an excellent non-prescription eye lubricant.

JohnK

Ardent wrote:

John,

How do you find working with a PC monitor now, are you still getting headaches? I'm pencilled in for surgery with Optilase on Monday morning, I'm taking a week off work, hope it's enough to recover.

I have no problems what so ever with monitors now and no headaches at all . You should be fine with a week. I only took longer because I could Best of luck on Monday!

animal

OK so after humming and hawing for the last 6 months ive made an appointment with the Wellington clinic for a few weeks time.

I know they're more expensive I know a few ppl who went there and were very happy.

My quesion is this - I'm in BUPA. A waste of money by the looks of it! Could I just join VHI or VIVAS now and have the op and then claim for the surgery or is there a minimum time you must be a member before making a claim? The website doesnt seem to anwer questions like this.....

JohnK

As far as I know only Vivas will cover this and even then only if you go for WaveFront with Optilase.

animal

On the Wellington website they now have a logo saying get 15% back with VHI but that area of the site is password protected for VHI members.

http://www.wellingtoneyeclinic.com

JohnK

Well in that case I'd ring VHI and ask them. I only joined Vivas after my first visit to Optilase and they still covered me so VHI will probably do the same. Best to get in touch with them ASAP though.

bat

I've just been told I'm not eligible in Optilase as I'm over -4.5 in each eye, (-4.75, -5.5). Does anyone know of people with similar prescriptions that have had the procedure done ? If so, where, and was it successful ? Many thanks

moridin

Well I'm going for my assessment with the Wellington clinic tomorrow. They use a very fast laser which is FDA approved for the following:

Myopia (nearsightedness): up to -12 diopters
Hyperopia (farsightedness): up to +6 diopters
Myopia with astigmatism: up to-12 diopters myopia with up to -6 diopters astigmatism
Hyperopia with astigmatism: up to +6 diopters hyperopia with up to +5 diopters astigmatism*

As I'm about -10ish and have astigmatism I hope they'll be able to sort me out

fdisk

I had mine done in Laservison - Lasik with Wavefront. Day of the procedure I arrived at 9am and was on the way home at 9:40. 4 hours sleep and I was fine - went back to work in the afternoon after the procedure and haven't had any problems whatsoever!

syklops

Don't all shout at once, but I was thinking of getting it done in Poland. Has anyone done this? There is a reputable clinic in Warsaw, with english speaking staff, because they deal with alot of english and Irish people. Its a lot cheaper, and I am going to poland anyway. They do both Lasek for 475 and Lasik for 575

Also has anyone had the treatment but had a bad experience. I am not looking for the aunt of a friend of a brother of mine kind of stories. Has any boards member had it and had a problem?

I have read about what bad things can happen Ad infinitum and ad nauseam, but have not found anyone I can talk to that can actually talk about their experience. Also some of the sources came from news outlets at least 3-4 years ago, when the technology was not as mature as it is now.

Thoughts and ideas welcome, please no criticisms of polish healthcare, etc. I have experienced it and we have alot to learn from it. I had dental treatment done in poland last year. Teeth feel ok now and it cost 30 euro. Most dentists in Ireland want 50 before you open your mouth. Also various members of family and friends have had operations including hip replacements there with out any problems.

kizzyr

I think if you are going to get it done in Poland have a good reliable recommendation from an ophthalmologist here. At least that way you will know that the person who will be doing the procedure knows what they are doing.
I really don't see why you need to travel to Poland for it though. If you are with (or join) Vivas you get €1000 back for it, they cover you with a clinic in Ely Place (D2) where the fee is €995 per eye so essentially you get half back upfront. Then you can claim tax back on it and if you are on the higher tax band thats 40% so you almost break even on the cost.
I'm having an assessment for my eyes on June 8th but am going to the Mater Private. My sister had hers done there late last year as have a few other people at work and that ophthalmologist who did the procedures comes very highly recommended. Unfortunately I'm with Bupa and so get SFA back from them and the fee in the Mater is €4000 but because this man is so highly recommended and has such experience at doing this I'm happy enough to pay that price. However that said a guy I know quite well got his done in Ely Place 2 years ago and is so happy with the results.

JohnK

kizzyr, unless its changed recently you are only covered by Vivas if you go for the wavefront option which is around €1,500 per eye. Vivas will then pay the difference between the standard & the wavefront (ie. €1000 if you get both eyes done) which means you would end up paying €2,000 yourself and of that €2,000 you can claim something like €400 back in tax bringing the total cost of treatment down to €1,600