Accuvision Laser Eye Clinic

I had my op done nearly 4 weeks ago at Accuvision and I’m sorry its taken me till now to post this. The truth is that its taken me till now to realise that I don’t wear specs any longer as today was the first day since the operation that I looked into the mirror to apply makeup, and it suddenly dawned on me – I dont wear glasses anymore!!!!
I’ve been wanting to get my eyes done for a while, not because I hated my glasses but because I hated being so utterly dependant on them. I was -6.50 and -7.00 with a slight cyl and had worn specs for more than 30 years and I felt Iwas blind without my spectacles! My husband is an optometrist (and a very handsome one at that!) and had been against getting corrective surgery for ages until he went to Accuvision to sus them out! To my surprise he came back and said he’d booked me in on valentines day! For anyone who knows my husband at all, this change of heart was a complete revelation as we’d spent hours in the past with other optom friends discussing the merits of laser surgery and he was never convinced by any of it. In fact he was so sure of Accuvision that he said he was going to stay at home in the Midlands with the kids for the weekend whilst I had it done!!! (We’d been to Accuvision over Xmas for the assessment and got the green light).
So on Friday 14th Feb I went to Accuvision and had my eyes done. I was amazed at just how quick the surgery was and how painless, (though I was sure that I could feel them cutting the flap at the time, I know that I couldn’t really!). I was incredibly nervous and totally unprepared because I’d done very little research – well, having a husband in the business meant I was quite complacent – if he was happy then that was good enough for me. The staff at Accuvision were all brilliant, especially when minutes before my operation it hit me that I might never see again! Absolute rubbish. Minutes after the operation (about 30) and I was seeing! Sure my eyes were sore and they watered a lot, but I could see. I remember going next door to Starbucks for a coffee and I could see to mind the lampost and I could see to cross the road. I stayed with friends that night and I think I was a pretty good house guest as all I did was crawl into bed and sleep. The next morning I went in for my post-op check and I was able to read the bottom line on the chart, something I was never able to do with my glasses.
I’ve got to hand it to the guys – Vik, Mike, Will, Joan and Darius -you’ve changed my life. Thankyou for your patience and humour – you made me feel at ease and my husband thanks you from the bottom of his heart as for the first time in 5 years he’s been able to sleep through the night since I can see enough to make the baby’s milk without having to search for my glasses now, so it’s me doing the night shifts!

Of course as soon as he could, my hubby had me in to check my eyes under the slit-lamp and at 4 days post-op he wasn’t able to see my flaps…(corneal!).My vision has steadily improved so that I have very little glare now, and the vision is great. Things are going very well at the moment and I can safely say that I am absolutely delighted with the results of my Lasik op courtesy of the experts at Accuvision. I would strongly urge anyone considering Lasik to get in touch with the guys at Accuvision. They seem to have the perfect blend of professionalism, technical ability, knowledge and that uncanny knack of being able to make you feel comfortable and relaxed about the entire process of Lasik, from the moment you first enquire to the moment you walk out the door with your new eyes. Accuvision – they’re the muts nuts!

It’s now nearly 18 months since my LASIK surgery at Accuvision. I can truely say that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be short-sighted,(I take it for granted that I can now see so well without glasses/contacts all the time).
There was an initial period of “settling in” after surgery, and I opted for what they call monovision,where one eye is left a little undercorrected to avoid needing glasses for near vision as you get older.
I cannot thank the team at Accuvision enough, all so professional,knowledgable and courteous throughout. You pay for what you get, cutting edge technology and a brilliant result.

I had laser surgery yesterday (17th March) and I must say, so far, so good. Whilst having your eyes clamped open obviously isn’t enjoyable, I found the whole experience to be surreal rather than painful. In a way, it’s a bit like a bungy jump – you have make a leap of faith in order to go ahead and put your life in someone else’s hands in order to make get through it all.

The whole thing was very quick, the actual procedure only took about 20 minutes. The staff were all good, the nurse was reassuring and told me what to expect (minus the gory details), the surgeon took time to make sure all my questions are answered beforehand and I was sure I wanted to go ahead (in fact I felt like I was convincing him).

I found out at my check up today that I have 20:20 vision. My eyesight is a little hazy, but that is to be expected and having spoken with/emailed several people, this is normal and my eyesight is expected to improve.

I found the diary of Steve Mercer (see ‘links’ above) very helpful and feel he has described the process well (but not for the squeamish).

Together with getting married and travelling around the world, this is the BEST THING I EVER DID. No regrets, it’s miraculous.

2 years ago I was refused treatment at Optimax due to my astigmatism. After receiving a recommendation for Accuvusion, I booked in for a free consultation and was informed that my 3.25 / 3.50 impaired dvision could be corrected, as well as my severe astigmatism. I haven’t looked back since.

Accuvision have been absolutely fantastic from day one. I had a thorough examination with Vik who immediately made me feel comfortable and relaxed. There are no secrets at Accuvision. They tell you the whole story – details of the intricate procedure, the advanced wavefront technology they use which is currently unrivalled in the UK, potential side effects.
I was initially advised that there was a chance I may need very weak glasses for driving (not a problem I said), I was also informed they may not be able to fully correct the astigmatism in both my eyes first time around. This is an example of Accuvision’s honesty. They painted me a picture of the worst case scenario, which in either situation I was happy with. But unsurprisingly, neither of these issues occurred. I am now on my 3rd week post-surgery and my vision is perfect. It’s been perfect for 2 weeks now. Amazing.

Believe me they ARE right. The surgery does not hurt. I promise. It was a huge comfort to be able to hold the nurse’s hand, just for a bit of reassurance as you are fully awake during the procedure. You are aware of what is happening, as the procedure is explained to you many times beforehand.
After surgery you are told to rest your eyes as much as possible – listening to the soaps on TV is no problem! Next day I felt no grittiness, just felt like I’d been punched in each eye. You administer eye drops several times a day during the following week and you are told your vision may fluctuate.

My only symptoms were my eyes felt tired at the end of each day (this only lasted 1 week) and they were sensitive to bright artificial light (this has reduced in time – only brightness now is some car headlights).
I have had my 1 week checkup and my vision is close to 20/20 in left eye and better than 20/20 in right eye. I am absolutely delighted. It’s hard to believe it’s true. Waking up in the morning has taken on a new dimension now that I can see, I no longer watch TV in bed with my specs on! and I can’t wait to go on holiday and be able to see my surroundings when I’m in the swimming pool! AMAZING.

One of the very special things about Accuvision is the people who work there. That’s one of the things that makes Accuvision stand out from the rest. Their honesty and integrity is second to none and you are made to feel special and important on every visit. They have all the time in the world for you, no matter how many questions you have or how many times they’ve heard those questions before! I called Mike (the practice manager) twice after booking surgery with questions and we were on the phone for 25 minutes. No problem, they are dedicated to their patients.
Hugest thanks to Mike who was absolute star throughout and Vik the opthamologist and to Darius who’s thoroughness and expertise has resulted in a truly professional, dedicated and caring environment and of course to Mr Rostrum who performed my surgery (though you don’t really get to talk to the surgeon much). THANK YOU. It’s a whole new world when suddenly you’re no longer short-sighted.

If anyone would like more detail, no problem, please mail me: helenlcollins@hotmail.com

My mum was short-sighted and also had to wear reading glasses and she had surgery on the same day as me. They corrected her long-distance vision in one eye and short distance vision in the other eye (monovision) and she also has had no problems and has close to 20/20 vision.

6 days on from my surgery and so far total success, operation was interesting rather than painful, the flap cutting slightly uncomfortable, vision 20/20 within 24hrs, very little discomfort, initially some fluctuation in vision as expected but this now ceased. Night vision not noticeably better (yet?) but have not driven so not really tested. At 1 week check up am expecting 20/10 vision.

You get you what you pay for as every body posting here mentions. What you get at Accuvision is a laser 4 times faster than competitors allowing for quicker operation time and less time for flap to dry out. Flap healing is therefore quicker and less chance of complications. Quicker telemetry so laser is repositioned quicker when eye moves and therefore increased accuracy. Finer laser so more accurate “burning” of corneal tissue. “Wavefront” technology measures thickness of cornea in 168 places giving topographical map of corneal thickness. More tissue can be taken from thicker “peaks” of cornea and less from “troughs”. This allows less corneal tissue to be taken for same correction. This is important as the residual thickness of the cornea is cteris all things being equal better thicker than thinner.

The recent adverse publicity should help thin out the competition in provision of lasik surgery. Those following Accuvision lead will no doubt survive, those not updating their technology and employing pushy sales consultants rather than opthamalgic consultants and pressuring clients into signing up for surgery on the day of consultation with discount offers should not be (in an ideal world) in the market place as they are giving lasik an unnecessary reputation as a risky procedure.
Thanks to ALL at Accuvison.