laser eye surgery

[spadetownboy]

i,m finally going to take the plunge and get it done, as im basically sick and tired of contacts.

has anybody had it done,and if so so whats the experience and end result like, and are there any recommendations for where to get it done.

cheers stb

[Jah Lush]

My brother had it down in Harley St last year and it was very successful. Cost him a couple of grand. Personally I've got so used to my specs and I like that fact that they the hide bloody awful bags and dark shadows under my eyes but fair play to you if that's what you want done.

[RosieH]

do you know can you have it done for long-sightedness?

[lozzyloz]

STB I seriously considered having laser surgery last year, I have mild presmyopia. I found this website Lasik Eyes useful. Ratings on clinics, forums on specific issues and explanations of the different procedures and technology involved.

I had consultations at Focus Clinics in Wimpole St, Optical Express in Shaftesbury Avenue and Moorfields. Of those clinics, OE were the cheapest and don't charge for a consultation but I felt Moorfields, although more expensive would've been a safer bet if I'd opted for treatment. There is a lot of hard sell going on and each clinic claims to have the best laser and the most innovative procedures. You have to cut through the crap a bit.

In the end I decided against it because I felt the technology still wasn't advanced enough, there's no guarantee of success, each clinic offers a different solution and I didn't want to have an op which couldn't be reversed.

Good luck.

[????]

I can't think about lasers without thinking about the laser scene in Goldfinger so would stick with contacts

[Brendan]

My mother had it done about 12 years ago when it was still pretty new. She had really bad astigmatism and had to wear thick glasses from the age of 12. By the time she was in her 50s her prescription was so thick that her glasses had actually worn a dent into her nose. She had it done and it was like being given new eyes. She doesn?t even need specs anymore.

[pablogrande]

I looked into it and got quite close to having it done, then I realised how many of the people who worked in the clinics I spoke to wore glasses

[Marmora Man]

When I worked in healthcare (8 years ago now) Laser eye clinics were the rage in the private sector but very few Consultant Opthalmologists were opting for it. Most felt the techniques needed longer testing period to determine after effects some years after surgery.

By now tho' there should be a decent body of evidence, particularly on long term impact to enable you to make an objective judgement.

[*Bob*]

pablogrande Wrote:

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> I looked into it and got quite close to having it

> done, then I realised how many of the people who

> worked in the clinics I spoke to wore glasses

Is this like the overly-high proportion of bald hair stylists?

I'd like to give it a go, but I'm too afraid of the 0.0001% chance of it all going wrong and having to spend the rest of my days with vision akin to looking through a pair of plastic 3-D specs.

[ontheedge]

My brother had it done about four years ago as couldn't tolerate lenses anymore and glasses not practical absolutely happy with. Know 2 others who had it done & very happy a bit more hesitant myself although thinking about it since really bad eye infection from lenses I have never had such pain.

[ontheedge]

Sorry meant practical for sport

[Keef]

pablogrande Wrote:

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> I looked into it and got quite close to having it done, then I realised how many of the people who worked in the clinics I spoke to wore glasses

When I was training for my job we had wekly lectures from a top Consultant Opthalmologists, and she was so dead set against it, and did point out that whenever she went to a conference on it, the guys selling it would always be wearing glasses. As she pointed out, the whole point of a laser is to destroy something, not fix it.

Having said all that, I know 2 people who have had it done, and both have been happy with the results, and no longer need glasses.

One word of warning though, it's quite expensive, and not always permanent. My friend is shortly going in for his second lot a couple of years after his first time round.

[lozzyloz]

Good point Keef about the permanence factor. Not all conditions and not all people are 100% receptive to this treatment. Conditions that are related to age often need top ups and if you're long sighted you'll probably still need to wear glasses for close up stuff, although your near range will be improved. Just like renewing your opthalmic prescription every few years. I also spoke to somebody who teaches at Moorfields (NHS part) who still wear contacts and wasn't very positive about laser treatment.

IMO if you have serious eyesight problems then laser surgery is probably a godsend because glasses or contacts are possibly not an option or too cumbersome. If you have fairly minor or age related poor sightedness then traditional methods are probably a safer option.

STB, you're doing the right thing by talking to as many people as possible and doing your research before reaching your own conclusions. There are probably more satisfied than dissatisfied recipients of this treatment.

[Brendan]

Well put lozzyloz. I think you really have to weigh up the type and severity of your condition against the relative benefits and risks.

As far as I know they don?t do it for the normal age related sight loss that most people develop and is sorted out by reading glasses.

[Keef]

Age related macular degeneration is the term you're after ;-)

[Izodia]

My colleague had it done before Christmas and swears by it. He's still having to put drops in daily because his eyes get very dry but he feels that is worth it for not wearing contacts.

However I have a good friend who has a degrees in both Orthoptics and Opthamology and he said he would only recommend it to people whose eyesight was so bad they couldn't move without their glasses i.e. couldn't see well enough to get themselves out of a burning building and the like. He says your eyes will continue to change and so you'll probably need it done again and he's not convinced there's enough evidence in it's favour just yet. He can also be a little bit cautious about things.

So it's up to you whether you really want to be rid of your contacts that badly. Personally I like my glasses, especially since investing in more than one pair.