Overall I had a very good experience at my local Optical Express in Milton Keynes. I've just got home from my 3 month check up and I am very pleased with the results.
I was quite disappointed at the reception when I first went in to find out about having laser correction. I popped in on my lunch hour to make an appointment for a chat about the procedure. I hadn't even decided if I wanted to have it done but the girl who I spoke to insisted that I had to have different eyedrops when I attended the appointment which would prevent me from driving! I was very disappointed that they weren't even prepared to talk to me without gaining my consent to take part in a medical procedure. The girl wasn't really very helpful and seemed oblivious to the fact that I didn't have time to go through the ins and outs right then and there (that's what I wanted an appointment for after all). That very nearly put me off but I'm glad it didn't. I will point out that she worked in the shop floor area rather than the laser suite though.
The initial appointment was simple enough but I do feel that it should have been possible to have a half-way appointment where you can be told about the surgery before having to consent to the examination which determines if laser correction is appropriate. Everything was explained clearly and simply but I didn't feel patronised. They gave me as much information and in as much detail as I wanted.
I had to pay double the advertised starting price due to my prescription of, I think, -5.75. I also have slightly larger pupils than average so I had to be prepared to live with glare after correction, especially at night. I was told that I could go back to work the day after the procedure so I booked in for the 19th November. I guessed (although I wasn't told) that I'd be on a production line. The wait was long and boring so I recommend taking a newspaper and a sandwich. The laser suite is run very well. Everyone is pleasant and helpful. I did get butterflies of excitement when it was my turn but never felt afraid.
The treatment room seemed to be run very efficiently. Everyone in the room was friendly and really helped to calm my nerves.
The actual procedure was fascinating. I could see some things but my vision was distorted most of the time so all I could see were vague shapes, nothing alarming. The procedure was uncomfortable but not painful - a bit like wearing shoes that are 2 sizes too small. I got the impression that they went to great lengths to secure my eyeball before doing anything else. I'd heard tales of being able to smell burnt hair but I didn't smell anything. When I sat up they asked me to read the clock on the wall. I will never forget the emotion of being able read a wall clock unaided for the first time in my life. It's the little things like that which make it all worthwhile.
Immediately after the treatment I went into another room where I was given a little bag of aftercare stuff and instructions for the next few days. That took about 5 minutes and by the end of it I felt the anaesthetic
drops wearing off. By the time my partner had got me to the car about 50 feet from the clinic I just wanted to close my eyes which were streaming like I had raw onion in them.
Got home and went straight to bed. The feeling after surgery is like having sand in your eyes. Pain is a very personal thing but I would say it was unpleasant rather than painful. I just laid in my bed with the curtains closed feeling sorry for myself for next 7 hours or so. You really do need someone to be with you during this time. My goodie bag from the clinic had special goggles to stop me from touching my eyes. I had to wear these during sleep for some time to come. After those first hours I noticed a significant improvement in how I felt. The grittiness was gone and I just felt like I'd left contact lenses in for too long or been in a really smokey room. I was able to open my eyes and get about the house on my own.
I had 3 different types of eye drops to take at different times (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and saline). These did help but it's worth having a box of paracetamol handy too.
I happened to have a day off work the next day but there was no way I could have returned to work at that point. My eyes were still running and I felt generally glum. Good job I didn't go back to work the next day because I had to attend a follow-up appointment. I was very much cheered up with the news that my vision was already better than 20-20. I did go back to work the day after the follow up and although my eyes felt dry I coped fine.
From a cosmetic point of view my eyes were still a little bloodshot and there was a bruise in the white of one eyeball. That wasn't really visible unless I looked in a certain direction. Unless you're particularly concerned about appearance it's nothing to be afraid of.
(If you decide to have the procedure I thoroughly recommend the following. When you return to work, stagger in wearing dark glasses and explain there were a few side effects. Remove your dark glasses to reveal a pair of googly-eyes-on-springs glasses which can be purchased at joke shops. Alternatively, learn a 'remote-viewing' magic trick to perform. You'll be amazed how many people believe that laser surgery really can give you special powers.)
A few days later I found that my eyes were stinging when I applied drops and I was getting through loads of the 'fake tears' I was provided with in my goody bag. At my one week routine check up I was told that I'd developed an allergy to the preservatives in the bottled drops and was given individual vials of viscous tears to use instead. These were really soothing and the clinic supplied me with as many as I needed. Apart from that minor hiccup everything was fine.
I went for a one month routine check up which was simple because everything was ok. I only needed to use the viscous drops very occassionally. I don't use them at all now.
After three months I find that my vision isn't quite as good as it was with my very best lenses. I do experience a slight glare effect but that has improved over the past 3 months. Also, I had fantastic near vision before. I was often called upon to read hallmarks or thread needles. This is now compromised but I don't really care. The novelty of threading needles wears thin. The experience of not needing the 'crutch' of spectacles just gets better. Almost every day I find a new benefit to having my vision corrected. My only regret is that I didn't have it done 10 years ago.