I hadn’t considered laser surgery until earlier this year when I discovered that NHS hospitals also carried out the operations, albeit on a private basis. I was curious to learn more, so requested further information from Moorfields and carried out additional research online. This site was particularly helpful in coming to a decision and preparing for surgery, so I would also like to share my experiences so far. After my initial research I booked a consultation with Dr Gartry at Moorfields in October. I figured that even if I didn’t go ahead, it would be worth £150 for some expert and impartial advice. I’d agree with some earlier posts that Dr Gartry can appear a little brusque, but he answered all the questions I had preprepared in a straightforward and professional manner. From the tests I underwent that morning he told me that I was suitable for surgery but in no way did I feel that he was encouraging me to do so. My prescription was -2.50/-2.25 with no astig, and he said that a reasonable expectation would be for him to achieve a 90% correction (i.e. to around - .25/-.5). Dr. Gartry has a strong preference for LASIK owing to the rapid visual recovery and good results that he has seen (his biog says he has performed more than 11,000 Lasik ops to date.). I came away from the consultation feeling undecided, but reassured that if I did go ahead, I should be a straightforward case for a surgeon of Dr Garty’s experience. I spent a few days trying to weigh the risks and benefits. On the one hand I could wait a few more years for the technology to improve and the risk of complications to diminish, but having reached my mid-thirties I was also keen to enjoy the potential benefits as soon – and for as long - as possible. A few days later, I decided to book a surgery date, still telling myself that I could always pull out up until a week before (when you have to pay) if I changed my mind. About ten days before surgery I did have some serious doubts and I started to convince myself that the whole thing was a bad idea. Around the same time I received a call from Moorfields to say that the surgery needed to be postponed by two days. Although this was annoying, in a strange way it also calmed me down by giving me two more days to reflect, and from that moment I was surprisingly relaxed leading up to the surgery. I had a 9.30am appointment which allowed just enough time to drop the children at school and get to the hospital, but not too much to brood on the impending surgery. The operation takes place on the 4th floor of Moorfields eye hospital. For an eye hospital, it is not the most straightforward place to navigate (I overhead another patient saying he had difficulty finding the ‘low vision’ unit…), and on arrival at the fourth floor a small printed sign pointed Dr Gartry’s patients to a rather small and dingy waiting room. There was no-one to meet and greet or confirm that this was the right place, but a small cardboard box for unwanted specs hinted that we might be on the right track. Finally a nurse did confirm that we were in the right place and that we could make a cup of tea while we waited. A small thing perhaps, but a little bit of human reassurance 10 mins before a significant op wouldn’t have gone amiss. A few minutes later I was called and taken to a surprisingly small room where the surgeon and laser awaited. Dr Garty was masked but I recognised his eyes and distinctive voice and he greeted me cheerfully. Seconds later I was in the chair with the seat reclining. From this moment everything was clearly and calmly explained to me as we went through the procedure. I found Dr Gartry very calm and reassuring throughout and the whole thing was over very quickly (20 mins max). And while I wouldn’t say the operation was pleasant, it was certainly not painful. I had read enough posts (and even watched a u-tube video of an op) to know what was going on and I think this actually helped a bit. The second eye was slightly more uncomfortable, partly because I knew what was coming and partly (as Dr Garty later explained) because the body uses up most of its adrenalin dealing with the first ‘attack’. In any case the whole thing was over remarkably quickly and before I knew it, I was walking down the corridor (in a mist but seeing ok) to run through the aftercare procedures with a nurse. My partner had barely had time to get to Starbucks and back in the time it took me to have the operation. During the 40 minute drive home the anesthetic wore off and my eyes started streaming and stinging and I had to keep them closed behind dark glasses for most of the journey. That was as bad as it got. Once home my eyes were still light sensitive and sore for a few hours but this improved with every dose of the drops. By evening I could see reasonably well, watch a bit of television and make my way very comfortably around the house. The next morning my sight had sharpened to about 90% as many people describe. I had a bit of dryness, and slight haloing around street lamps at night, but my vision was amazingly clear. I took the tube for a brief follow-up appointment with Dr Garty who confirmed that my eyes were healing well and that I could expect a good final result. I’m due to go back in a month or so. I am now 48 hours post-op and I’d say that my sight is pretty close to what it was with contacts or glasses. I drove this morning with no problems and I’ve been reading/using the computer for short periods quite comfortably. Still a long way to go, but so far the results and lack of serious discomfort are pretty remarkable. My eyes are still slightly sore and dry but I was anticipating far worse. If you’re after a shiny 5 star customer experience then perhaps Moorfields isn’t for you. On the other hand, I had every confidence in Dr Gartry’s surgical ability and the reassurance of being treated in one of the world’s leading eye hospitals should anything go wrong. To me, those were the most important things.