I had the intralase proceedure using the Femtosecond Laser at Optimax Birmingham on 2/5/06. My Surgeon was Andre Oberholster. My right eye was -2.00 and left -2.75 with astigmatism. I could not see to put nail polish on my toenails without glasses. I booked my appointment via ebay and got a good discount. During my consultation I decided to upgrade and have the intralase proceedure which uses a laser instead of a blade to produce the flap. I found the proceedure itself totally pain free and very fast. There is a smell for about a second or two but I thought it was exactly like the smell when a tooth is being drilled at the dentist. My friend drove me home and I kept my eyes closed for most of the journey. I was quite tired after the proceedure and sat quietly all evening listening to music with my lovely eye shields taped to my face. Although I could read 20/20 the next day on the eye chart I did not get instant clear vision I was blurry for quite a few days. I did feel worried but it is a normal part of the healing proceedure. I have not had starbursts or any bad halo effects (I had holoes before I had intralasik) and I have no problems with dim lighting. I still have a small amount of glare/haze (eg around objects in a window ledge or white script on a black background on the computer)but this is improving and does not cause me any problems. Unfortunately I did have some side effects from the steroid drops which gave me headaches and made me feel very nauseous. I found that the aftercare from Optimax is excellent. I telephoned to say I felt unwell, I was expecting someone to speak to me on the phone but was told to visit the clinic and they would see me straight away. The Optomotrist fully examined my eyes and explained about the side effects I was experiencing and I immediately felt re-assured. The drops do not have to be used for very long and the side effects ended when the drops stopped. Although I did not wake up the next morning with perfect vision my eyesight has continued to improve day by day and I am now just over 3 weeks post surgery and am very pleased with my eyesight and it is still improving! Driving is brilliant and I feel like I can see for miles over the countryside. I knew I would have to wear reading glasses and have enjoyed choosing modern funky frames at little cost (my glasses were £250 minimum a time and I was going into bi-focals). I have had a little bit of dry eye which is to be expected but have found that Systane drops (I got mine from the internet) are excellent. I dont need to use them so often and I dont get any residue on my eyelashes. I can now wear my eye make and look normal! I was expecting bright sunshine to bother me but I have not had any real problems. I wore sunglasses outside for a fortnight to protect my eyes but I can see fine without them and only need them if the sun is really bright(as I did before the surgery). I would recommend Optimax Birmingham. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will post again after my next aftercare appointment. Best wishes, Ann