Laser Eye Surgery - Opinions

Mhiceal

I had surgery in Optilase. I coudnt recommend them more. I had my surgery over a ago and vision is still excellent. I paid about 2000 euro after tax for both eyes.

goodgirl12

jenny487 wrote: »

Oh, Goodgirl, wot age are you, wot do you work at and wot is your glasses strength now please? how long are you wearing glasses?

jenny

Sorry jenny haven't been on here in a while. I am 24, work with computers all day and am approx -3 (am due an eye test soon)

bride2be10

Hi I would like some advice about eye laser surgery, i've had my consultation with optical express and I'm suitable but VERY concerned about the risks?? I'd appreciate any advice from people who have had eye surgery wit optical express in Newbridge or any other company. Thanks a mill

bride2be10

Hi I had my consultation with optical express in Mahon point shopping centre, they said I was suitable, E4,200 for the surgery. you mentioned a E300 referral discount, please tell me more cos I'm in a hurry to decide to get it or not and pay before dec 31st in order to get the tax back early '10 as I'm gettin married in July and it would be gr8.

Tanx a mill

FastFullBack

bride2be10 wrote: »

Hi I would like some advice about eye laser surgery, i've had my consultation with optical express and I'm suitable but VERY concerned about the risks?? I'd appreciate any advice from people who have had eye surgery wit optical express in Newbridge or any other company. Thanks a mill

I had it done last January in Newbridge. Everything went perfect. Was in and out of the place in about 1hr 30 mins. And I had my eyes open within about 30 mins of the journey home. My eyes weren't really dry at all and I had no complications but I guess I'm just lucky. As for optical express, I can only say good things about them. I had all the after checks in Cork and I' due for my 1 year check now in January. All the after care was top class and I certainly aint looked back since.

bride2be10

That's gr8 to hear, I've read all the messages people have put up about eye laser surgery and only 1/2 have serious problems like spots on their eyes which affects their vision, Tanx a mill for that it's gr8 to hear from someone who has had the surgery with optical express and in Newbridge, alot of people are recommending optical express.

Kev.

Okay so 2 weeks on and my eyes are perfect ,no red marks,no more grittyness I cant believe it to be honest....

Only thing is night vision is still a bit bad,but the surgeon said this is perfectly normal.It usually goes a bit bad around the twighlight hours i.e when its getting dark but still bright


God Im so glad I got it done,I never minded wearing glasses but now I realize how much I hated them


To anybody thinking of getting it done please please go and do it,for the sake of 2 minutes of your life....truly life changing

Trust me the ops not bad at all and this is coming from somebody who cant touch my eyeball,I couldnt even put a contact in......


On the referal drop me a pm if you want and ill give you my details

Kenny_D

Cheers for the update Kev. Looking forward now to getting mine done on the 28th with OE

bride2be10

Hi Kev, gr8 to hear ur surgery went really well and uve no problems since it has been done, I'm dying to be glasses&lenses free but I'm terrified of the risks, I was on irishhealth.com yesterday and there were quite a few messages from people who have had the surgery and wish they never did cos of the dry eyes, floaters etc. I know there are risks and theres no going back once it's done but I'm terrified I'll be one of those unluky ones and have permanent damage, I'm getting married next Summer and although I'd luv to have gr8 vision then I'm terrified that I'd be worse off and completely regret doing it...decisions, decision, decisions!!!

Posy

Hey, bride2be, I can understand your dilemma. Before I got my laser done I was terrified of the risks! I just had to go for it and hope for the best! As I've said, meeting and trusting your surgeon helps a LOT.

bride2be10 wrote: »

I was on irishhealth.com yesterday and there were quite a few messages from people who have had the surgery and wish they never did cos of the dry eyes, floaters etc.

You'll never know what will happen until you go for it. There will always be scare stories. To be honest, I'd say be informed but don't frighten yourself with info! If a friend's child was having their appendix out you wouldn't recommend that they read up on cases where people have died under the anesthetic etc..
Once you make a decision you'll feel better because it's just a case of 'do it' at that stage. It can take a few months for vision to stabilise so if your getting married in July you'd want to get it done by the spring to be sure you're absolutely fine for the big day!

ArthurG

Finally got mine done this week in Optical Express in Newbridge.

Originally was going to go to OE in Ballsbridge, but had to reschedule and the only slot they had was in Newbridge so I went for it.

Like everyone says - very friendly, professional and patient. Surgeon was friendly too and I had a bit of a laugh before we went in which relaxed me.

Did get a bit nervous as it started - never had any kind or surgery before and was surprised at how hi-tech it all was.

I went for Intralase Wavefront LASIK. Wasn't really bothered about the lack of vision during the first stage (flap creation by laser) and the actual reshaping of the cornea was sensationless - what did get me though was after each eye was done i could see perfectly (yay!) and I could see him repositioning the flap which was a bit gross.

My prescription was moderatly high - right eye -4.5 (astigmatic) and left eye -5.5. They placed a bandage contact lense (just a prescriprion free lense) in as I have slightly thin corneas and highish prescription (at least thats waht the surgeon told me) and I was in & out in about 90 mins.

I have had no discomfort what-so-ever and when I went in for my 24 hour check (which was in Ballsbridge) everything was fine.

My left eye (higher prescription) is healing a bit slower than the right - the right is virtually perfect.

Overall I can't believe how good the result is, how quick it was and how little discomfort I felt.

Very very happy overall.

Kenny_D

Got my surgery today in Optical Express in ballsbridge. Wasn't really sore but deffinitely a nervy uncomfortable few mins. Have my dark goggles on and just watched a bit of tv there and can read but still a little blurry. Delighted with it overall, especially as my eyesight is to improve over the next few weeks. Looking forward to getting a good nights sleep and hopefully my vision will be a bit better in the morning

bride2be10

Hi Posy, thank you for your comment. I wish I was like you and have it done and with no complications, and be obne of those 'best ting I ever did' people but I'm still torn about gettin it done or not. I've spent Christmas saying to myself yeah it's not bad living with glasses and lenses and having dry eyes with the lenses, wouldn't it be worse if I had d surgery and had problems that can't be fixed. wish I had a magic wand and could see into the future!!

Big J

I had mine done by OE in Newbridge just over 2 years ago. No regrets, even though it cost over 4k (I had a really high prescription - around -9.5 for both eyes).

If you can stand putting in contacts you should be able to handle the messing with your eyes the procedure entails. Expect your eyes to be very sore for the first 24 hours and probably not be able to see much until the following morning (the stronger your current prescription the worse this is).

Having to sleep in eyeshields for a week and putting the drops in several times a day is simply a bit of a nuisance.

The one big problem I had was with glare - the laser cuts a radial pattern in your cornea as it removes the excess material - and this can lead to a blurring or starring effect (like looking at streetlights/headlights on a rainy night through wet glasses). I could not drive at night for a couple of months although the big problem I had was not being able to read from computer screens, I just could not make out black print against a bright white background. It was so bad I had to quit my job in a call centre and took about 4 months to get over - it did clear up as I work in a call centre now.

Final issue that may come up if you have a fairly strong prescription and are a bit older (I was 46) is that you may well still need reading glasses.

A lot of the horror stories seem to be from the early days of the procedure when people weren't assessed properly for corneal thickness and the techniques simply weren't as good as they are now.

As I said I've no regrets and would get it done again (thankfully not necessary).

Kenny_D

Few days on from my surgery and I cant believe I left it so long to get it done. I'm only 22 so a bit young to get it done but have had a stable prescription for last 3 years. Feel like a new person being able to see and read things I would have previously needed my glasses for. My poor eyesight and glasses made me pretty miserable for years so its like a huge weight lifted. Its simple things like being able to watch tv or wake up in the morning and not need to look for the glasses.

Got my one week checkup on sunday and my eyes feel pretty good so hopefully the recovery is going well. The drops are a nuisance alright, looking forward to finishing those.

Overall I'd highly recommend it

Cadyboo

Hi guys, am really considering getting my eyes lasered. But having read a lot of the other posts Im a bit worried about how long it takes to heal, some people say a day, others weeks.
For those who have had it done how long were you off work? And the glare at night people wrote about, is that temp?
Thanks

lynski

with thanks to the post above i would also like to hear about recovery times and particularly from anyone with small children who has had it done, how incapacitated are you afterwards?
also jenny did you get rid of those lenses? if not i'd take them.

Amtmann

Hi, has anyone here been to Ultralase in Cork? I have -6.5 in both eyes and have had LASEK wavefront recommended to me at a cost of €3070 in total after a 15% health insurance discount. I've read the whole thread and it doesn't seem anyone has been to Ultralase. Naturally I'm quite curious about how others have found their standards of care and service.

Red Hand

Furet wrote: »

Hi, has anyone here been to Ultralase in Cork? I have -6.5 in both eyes and have had LASEK wavefront recommended to me at a cost of €3070 in total after a 15% health insurance discount. I've read the whole thread and it doesn't seem anyone has been to Ultralase. Naturally I'm quite curious about how others have found their standards of care and service.

Is that the place on the Modell Farm road? I think there may have been another thread here on that place before.

I'd be curious as well, but kind of wary cause it seems that one's eyesight often deteriorates a few years after...the eye still lengthens so it isn't a long term solution.

TestTransmission

Any recommendations for anywhere in Limerick?

Amtmann

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Is that the place on the Modell Farm road? I think there may have been another thread here on that place before.

That's the one alright.

Utopia Parkway

Cadyboo wrote: »

Hi guys, am really considering getting my eyes lasered. But having read a lot of the other posts Im a bit worried about how long it takes to heal, some people say a day, others weeks.
For those who have had it done how long were you off work? And the glare at night people wrote about, is that temp?
Thanks

I had it done a few years ago and didn't find it painful at all. The night after I got the surgery I did feel some discomfort but more like when you have some dirt in your eye than any actual pain. The next day it wasn't even really all that uncomfortable but I still had the eye cover on. By the following day my eye was as right as rain albeit still a bit red. The redness will last a few days alright.

All in all I was scared stiff going in but it was fine really.

arbeloa

DO NOT DO LASIK. I had this done in Mater Private by Dr. Fitzsimons and my eyes have been severely damaged. I have dry eyes, large floaters and night glare. It could not have gone worse for me. I accept there are good outcomes but if you do any detailed research you will soon discover that the surgery damages healthy eyes. So if people don't experience problems now then they will in the future.

arbeloa

DO NOT DO LASIK. I had this done in Mater Private by Dr. Fitzsimons in February 2009 and my eyes have been severely damaged. I have dry eyes, large floaters and night glare. It could not have gone worse for me. I accept there are good outcomes but if you do any detailed research you will soon discover that the surgery damages healthy eyes. So if people don't experience problems now then they will in the future.

arbeloa

Think LASEK is way safer since there is no flap but this may also carry serious risks. Anyway my life has been ruined by the LASIK procedure. I wish I had talked to my GP beforehand because he himself would definitely not do it (he wears glasses). I had to see him after the surgery because I could not sleep and was suffering from post traumatic stress. His advice to me was that surgery was always a drastic last resort. He applied this principal when I had a knee injury playing football (just needed anti-inflammatories for that). I wish I had applied the same principle to eye surgery. Remember this is surgery on the eyes. If surgery is unnecessary then do not do it. Anything can happen in surgery. That's why you sign a consent form. The laser surgeons that do this are inhuman. They do not care about patient safety because if they did they would stop now that several bad cases have come to light after seemingly uneventful surgeries. But these money-grabbing, callous individuals just blithely carry on doing it. Where will they be when laser patients experience major problems later in life (if they haven't already)? They'll probably be sunning themselves in a foreign country spending the fortune they've earned from dangerous and unnecessary surgeries.

FastFullBack

arbeloa wrote: »

DO NOT DO LASIK. I had this done in Mater Private by Dr. Fitzsimons in February 2009 and my eyes have been severely damaged. I have dry eyes, large floaters and night glare. It could not have gone worse for me. I accept there are good outcomes but if you do any detailed research you will soon discover that the surgery damages healthy eyes. So if people don't experience problems now then they will in the future.

I had Lasik done about 1 year ago. I did as much research as I could, read everything there was to read on the Internet. I have had absolutely no problems at all since the surgery. Within a few hours I could see perfectly and I suffered no dry eyes or anything.

I'm very sorry to hear about your misfortune but it appears you are the exception not the norm.

mickey_t

Just to add my 2c:

I had PRK (also referred to as LASEK) carried out just yesterday. This is the procedure where they do not make a flap but reshape the surface of your cornea instead. I had to go this route since my corneas were not thick enough for LASIK. The final results from this procedure and LASIK are the same in the long term but the initial recovery period is quicker with LASIK. The procedure was custom wavefront guided, similar to LASIK.

The surgery wasn't too bad, the most uncomfortable part was clamping the eyelids and administering the numbing drops. The laser itself was fine, I just looked at the blinking light as if my life depended on it!! So far the recovery has been good, my vision has not come around 100% yet, but it will hopefully over the course of the next few days. Its hard to describe how my vision is right now, its not short or long sighted its just slightly blurry when I look at objects in detail. I had my checkup this morning and the optician told me this was normal and everything else looks good. I'm looking forward to getting through the inital phase and seeing the final results. I'm sorry to hear of some peoples misfortunes with the surgery, I have only heard positive things so far and I hope I don't encounter any issues in the future.

The only advice I can give to people considering it is: if you have decided to go ahead with it, make sure you have a steady prescription, research & find a reputable surgeon and make sure you're happy with their assessment of you (any possible complications/limitations with the results). Also follow any pre-surgery advice to the letter (eg if you've dry eyes and they put you on a course of drops). I was told about the possibilites of night glare and dry eyes before the surgery. While I hope this isn't an issue for me, I'm willing to deal with it compared to needing contacts or glasses 100% of the time for the rest of my life (& before anyone gets pedantic, yes I know I'll need readers when I'm 40!).

I'll try to post back in a few days when my eyes have settled down.

Jip

You're spamming this thread at the moment and making wild accusations against surgeons and companies that provide such services.

arbeloa wrote: »

So if people don't experience problems now then they will in the future.

Where's the medical evidence for this claim ?

I understand you may be upset with what happened with you but you cannot go making wild posts such as yours.

jmx009

Cadyboo wrote: »

Hi guys, am really considering getting my eyes lasered. But having read a lot of the other posts Im a bit worried about how long it takes to heal, some people say a day, others weeks.
For those who have had it done how long were you off work? And the glare at night people wrote about, is that temp?
Thanks

I dont remember the name of the surgery ( i believe it was lasik but it could have been Lasek too) but i had it done in June 09. It took about 15-20 minutes alltogether. It didnt hurt a but i had a lot of iritation in my eyes while they were doing the surgery ( quite understandable) . I was asked to wear sunglasses for 24 hours after the surgery and asked not to stare at light for the first day.

For the first hour after the surgery, I had to keep my eyes closed. It didnt hurt me but every time i tried opening my eyes, my eyes couldnt handle the light in the room. There was a lot of tears too (Pretty much the sensation u get when you try to stare at the sun on a bright clear sky). 2-3 hours later, i could open my eyes completely with no problem. I cant remember if my eye sight improved or not. After about 6-8 hours, i definitely could feel an improvement in my eyesight. After a day, i felt like i had 20/20 vision ( however the doctor proved it to be wrong), still i could see a lot better. A week later i had full 20/20 vision and no problems. I dont think the redness in the eye lasted for more than 6 hours after the surgey in my case.

However one major side effect that i noticed in my case was i couldnt really focus well after about 10-15 minutes of continues staring at the computer screen. So i had to take breaks every 15-20 minutes when working on the computer. This lasted for a month or so and honestly i was a bit worried during those times. However, i have no problems now and my eyesight is perfect.

Its been 6 months now and i dont have any problems. However, i have read cases of many people having problems after doing LASIK/LASEK surgery. I guess it all depends on the surgeon and the thickness of your retina ( or whatever it is that they fix in the eye). I hope this helps. I am a 23 year old male in case you are wondering. I could be wrong here but i think the you have a better chance of success if you do it at an early age ( but thats just me talking, and i am no medical proffessional).

BC

Cadyboo wrote: »

Hi guys, am really considering getting my eyes lasered. But having read a lot of the other posts Im a bit worried about how long it takes to heal, some people say a day, others weeks.
For those who have had it done how long were you off work? And the glare at night people wrote about, is that temp?
Thanks

It depends on what type you get done.
Lasek has a much longer recovery time than Lasik.
It always depends on whether you get both eyes done together or 1 at a time.