I had epi-lasek on March 28th at the Finchley Road, London branch. I bought it on e-bay which saves a load of money and gives you exactly the same service. My prescription was -2.0 in both eyes. The clinic is fairly basic. They don't spend a stack on furniture, paint or decent coffee that's for sure! It kind of has the feel of being the easyjet of eye surgery. They do a few eye tests first and these were fine up until the optometrist, who was a pleasant enough guy but often didn't seem to know what he was talking about and was bluffing some of the answers to my questions (including contradicting some of the stats in their own brochure). If I had had to make a decision whether to proceed with Optimax at this point I would have walked out the door. He did not exude professionalism and you kind of want professionalism when it comes to your eye-sight. Anyway after that got to see the surgeon himself, Dr Patel and he totally inspired confidence. Really put me at ease and said that with my prescription there was a very good chance of an excellent outcome and little chance of any of the possible complications. He recommended epi-lasek as it is safer for lower prescriptions, even if more painful. So that's what I had. Basically the op itself is painless and quick. They give you various drops and tablets to take away with you. Make sure you have someone else there to take it all in and to get you home. Take the painkiller straight away so that it kicks in when the eye drops wear off. As others have said, you are out of action for about 3 days after. The day after, I spent in bed. You can hardly open your eyes. Incredibly light sensitive, watery etc. Get hold of some co-codamol if you can to take as well as the ibuprofen. You basically need strong painkillers and to be as sleepy as possible for that first day. Having the bandage lenses out is no fun. That was the worst bit for me. Had mine done on Friday (op Wednesday) which is a day early. Really need someone still to escort you about at this stage. By Friday night eyes were less sensitive and Sat and Sunday much better.

Vision gets better slowly. My big disappointment was that I am not yet 20:20 (6 weeks later), which with my prescription I should have had a good chance of reaching. It is nice not to have glasses etc, but I am aware that I am still slightly short-sighted. It could get better and better over the next months, but if it doesn't then it is a lot of cash for a not perfect outcome. The optometrist (different one to the bluffer) said he thought I was a "bit unlucky". There is the possibility of retreatment but it is a lot of hassle to go through. I can see well enough to drive, but was hoping for more of a wow!

Not sure if this would have been the case had I gone to another clinic or not. Hard to know. Could just be my eyes.

Having said all that, no regrets. There is a level of anxiety going to Optimax because you have to ask yourself why it is so much cheaper. Are they paying top whack salaries and getting the best clinicians for example? On balance it feels to me that I paid a bargain price and got a less than excellent outcome, but a good enough one. Perhaps it's true: you get what you pay for.