I had Lasik surgery with Dr. Gartry on Monday 7th April 2003. My presciption was -7.25 with 1.25 of astigmatism in each eye. I researched both Moorfields and Dr. Gartry beforehand and decided that if anything was to go wrong it was the right place with the right surgeon for fixing things up.

I had my consultation with Dr. Gartry at his Harley Street surgery. I concur with a number of postings on this site. You have to go with a list of questions. He does not readily offer information but answers any question in a straight-forward and clear manner.

I went to Moorfields for the operation at 08:15. They did the scans and tests 15 minutes before the operation. Two things to consider here that I was not ready for.
1. Dr. Gartry relies on the eyetest that you take with you from your optician. I just assumed he would do his own test as well so you need to be happy with the prescription you take with you.
2. As the corneal scan was done only a few minutes before the surgery I was actually lying in the laser machine chair before I was told that due to my prescription and the corneal thickness results (500 and 520) he was not able to fully correct my sight. He was able to correct -6.5 of the -7.25 which would leave me with a residual prescription of -0.5 to -0.75. I then had to make a snap decision whether to go ahead or not. I had not prepared for this eventuality. I recommend you decide what you would do if this or something similar was sprung on you. I decided to go ahead. I could end up needing glasses for close work but should be able to drive, play sport, etc.

The operation was painless and not as bad as I had feared. It took less time and was less uncomfortable than getting a tooth filled. Dr. Garty was very good. He was obviously very competent, talked me through everything and conveyed the general air of someone who spends their life doing complex corneal surgery (which is his main job) and who performs laser surgery for light relief. Very comforting !

My sight was very hazy straight after the operation and I could not have hailed a taxi and caught a train without assistance. The haze cleared after a few hours leaving blurred vision. I sorted out the drops (3 different ones in each eye every two hours). Some prickling sensation in my eyes but no pain or other discomfort. I spent the rest of the day mainly resting with my eyes closed.

The next day my sight was much better but still with some blurring. However I was able to train and taxi it back to Moorfields for the checkup on my own. Dr. Gartry proclaimed himself very happy with the results, said I was able to drive (not sure about this yet myself) and sent me off after about five minutes. Again he was happy to answer any question but did not volunteer a lot of information. He said my sight would continue to improve over the next month. As the correction was quite a lot it will take longer for my sight to settle down then if I had had a smaller correction. I went stright from the consultation to work for a three hour conference call. In retrospect this was probably too soon.

This morning (2 days after the operation) my sight was less blurred again and is now good enough for me to post this article. I decided not to go into work but am able to pick up email, etc. from home. My eyes are not up to a day at the computer yet though. I may consider driving tomorrow.

I'll post an update at the one week mark when the drops and the "sleep-inhibiting" goggles are done.