Accuvision Laser Eye Clinic

Had wave guided LASIK surgery (surgeon:Daryus) on 20/6/02. Wave guided cost 3000, normal LASIK 2500 – I was told I needed wave guided because of poor night vision (poor contrast distinction in low light). Initial prescription -3.50 (both eyes). Vision now 20/10 ie. I could read the smallest line on the test chart! Staff very helpful – see the article in the Daily Mirror of 25/7/02 for a positive account from a patient who experiencd complications after surgery (which is always a small risk). Staff are aware of this website – I chose Accuvision as it was the only clinic that everyone who had contacted it gave 5/5 to when I was loooking in May. After my checkup today they gave me the new web address… Still, have to say they were excellent.

I had been considering having my eyes treated for over a year and was recomended to Accuvision by a work colleague. My concerns were that my prescription was very high (-10 with -1 astigmatism) and that I have very large pupils. During the consultation with Vikash it was confirmed that with earlier technology my prescription would have resulted in being turned away, but it was possible to return my eyes to ‘normal’ vision without compromising the cornea thickness, however I might have glare from lights when driving at night. As this is a problem I already had with contact lenses there was nothing to lose! Vik was very patient, thorough and advised me of all the risks etc. which was important.

Well I went ahead with the treatment! On the day I was very nervous, but all the staff, especially the surgeon Mr. Ayliffe, were patient and comforting. After the treatment everything went exactly as advised. My eyes were light sensitive and felt like they had soap in them and wanted to stay shut for about 4 hours. After 6 hours I was able to see reasonably clearly without those dreaded spectacles, and after a good nights sleep I was able to see clearly. My family helped me with the eye drops that were prescribed and they were surprised that there was no redness or sign of anything having been done to the eyes. At the routine test the following day it was confirmed that I now had 20/20 vision again; the first time in 25 years and a better result than I had hoped for. I am now planning a holiday where I will be able to swim etc. rather than sit at the pool side with my contact lenses in.

I am now recommending this treatment and Accuvision to all my friends who are ‘optically challenged’ and only wish I had had it done sooner.

Just a quick update. Went for my first week check on Friday. Vision has fluctated a bit over the last week – tends to be worse when im tired. Have had no pain, no dry eyes and my eyes feel totally normal – I have to keep reminding myself that I had my eyes corrected just over a week ago.

Anyway had my week check up and was told that my right eye is better than 20/20 and my left is 20/20 – excellent result. Eyes have healed really well and no problems with the flaps. And considering my prescription I couldnt have wished for more.

I have to be checked again in six weeks and hopefully the result will be much the same and who knows it may even be better.

I am happy to answer any questions etc. so please feel free to email me.

I would just like to say thanks to everyone at Accuvision – I can honestly say its changed my life.

Words cannot describe how amazing Accuvision is to me. To say the Team at Accuvision are excellent would be an understatement. They are simply the best. Initially, my regular opiticians (The Eye Clinic) sent me a letter saying I am within the acceptable range for eye surgery and they could offer me a free assessment. I could only wear my contact lenses about 3 times a week because they irritated my eyes if I wore them for too long, plus they made my eyes red after a while and years ago, always knew at some point when technology improved I would investigate LASIK further. So, after the assessment with the Eye Clinic even though they told me I was suitable I just did not feel that trust and confidence with them. I rang a few more laser clinics like Moorfields who told me that chances are they would have to perform LASIK twice on me in order to correct my vision since the prescription was so high. Before the op my right eye was -5 with a slight stigmatism of -100 x 175 and my left eye was -7.50 with a slight stigmatism of 11 x 150. Then I came across Accuvision, and read about the Wavefront Guided Custom LASIK and the laser itself having the ability to focus the beam to a finer point than other lasers the result being that it removes far less corneal tissue than other clinics – about 30-40% microns less which is reassuring. I then rang up Accuvision and got to speak to Darius who answered my questions and I was so impressed I immediately booked an appt for an assessment. Thursday, 9th May I had my assessment and Accuvision were fantastic, answering all my questions, telling me that in my case the risks were very low, no higher than the average patient, and that the outcome would be hopefully no glasses with there only being a slim chance of having to do a top-up op, but of course made it clear to me that no op is risk free. It wasn’t just the high technology which impressed me, they were professional, friendly and fantastic from the start, Mike, Vikesh and Darius and of course not forgetting my surgeon Mr Jacobs. They even said if I have doubts, then I shouldn’t feel I have to come back if I don’t want to and shouldn’t feel pressured. That even impressed me more, I could see money didn’t even come into it, and believe they only accept people who they know they can achieve a good outcome, they don’t just accept anyone.(In answer to the comment made by the Observer all surgeons at Accuvision are under the GMC and my surgeon was Mr Jacobs) I felt that trust and confidence and knew that my eyes would be okay and booked my op for Thursday, 20th June 2002. That was the best decision I ever made. The day before my op I had my final assessment and watched an op which only confirmed I made the right decision. I even was introduced briefly to Mr Jacobs, my surgeon, and that again confirmed I made the right decision. I was told the price of my op (£3,000) and thought there is no price to my eyes, eyes are priceless – I knew I was in the best hands and wouldn’t go elsewhere even if it was for free. The next day I had my op and even though I saw one the day before was still amazed at how quick the op was. I felt a combination of nervousness and excitement. I felt no pain whatsoever and only had to concentrate on the green/red light and before I knew it – it was over. Immediately after the op when I opened my eyes I could see Darius clearer then without my glasses before the op. Incredible. Mr Jacobs, my surgeon, was great and as skillful as I knew he would be. He told me before the op that he would be only removing approx 10% corneal tissue which was great to know. He double checked my eyes after the op (as well as before) and told me that I have no corneal flap complications and everything went smoothly. Even half an hour after the op I could see my best friend from across the table, normally everything beyond 2-3 inches would be a blur. My eyes watered a bit, I kept them mainly shut as it felt more comfortable that way as well as being told it was best to keep them shut that day anyway. I felt a slight gritty feeling in my left eye which vanished by 10:00pm and by then my vision was co-ordinated and I could see across the corridor my neighbour’s face and the grey fog which vanished more by the hour was hardly there anymore. The next day I woke up and could see – making my dream which I thought could only ever be a dream come true – to wake up and be able to SEE, no hunting for glasses. I went for my check-up (the day after my op) and was told I have 20/20 vision. Also, Accuvision told me that before the op when I wore my glasses or lenses my vision was one line below 20/20 (a fact I was not aware of until I saw Accuvision) so my vision had improved by one line. Everything is so much clearer it really is a whole new world. By my next appt a week after my op (28.6.02) I was told my vision had improved by two lines making my vision better than 20/20. Then at my appt on 1.8.02 (by the way thank you for the 2 cups of lovely creamy coffee Darius) I was told that my vision was back to 20/20 vision, one point better than before my op, it keeps fluctuating slightly as my brain is getting used to new eyes which work! I was also told that my right eye which was 1 point under 20/20 after the op has now improved to a fraction under 20/20 and is still improving. My vision is definitely much clearer than before my op and my eyes feel very comfortable and I don’t have any dry eye symptoms. In fact my eyes feel so well and are even more comfortable now than before the op. I was told that my outcome was predicated but Accuvision were very professional and understated it and didn’t tell me this until afterwards. After the op my driving instructor said the improvement in my driving is phenomenal and he said he can tell my vision has improved and can see the difference in my driving. I am so very happy with the outcome which is exceptional, and thank everyone at Accuvision for everything including their patience, (eg: at my second assessment I had 21 questions which were all answered and explained to me). This op has really changed my life – I would definitely recommend ACCUVISION and am so pleased I trusted my instincts as well as my research. I am glad I put having LASIK to the back of my mind even though various places contacted me throughout the years – until I found the right place which I could trust with my eyes. You know the saying that you are not sure that what is right for you until you come across it yourself then you will know? That is how I felt about LASIK until I came across Accuvision. I have another check-up on 22nd August and will write again then. Forgot to add that if anyone has any questions I am only too happy to answer them, I know it helped me speaking to a few patients, hearing how they felt and their point of view.

Thanks again to everyone, especially Darius, will write again in a few weeks time after my next consultation,

It’s a whole new world ….

It is now six weeks since I had my surgery and I am amazed at the results. I had been turned down by Ultralase as I had a very high prescription (-11) and did not have enough corneal thickness for their laser. I had a consultation with Accuvison the next day but I rang up to cancel it as I presumed that if you couldn’t be treated by one clinic you couldn’t be treated at all. I was advised to still come in and I am so glad I did. It was explained to me by Vikash that the technology used at Accuvision is far superior to that used by other clinics and they were happy to take me on as they could correct my vision and still leave me with at least the minimum recommended corneal thickness. I booked my surgery for about ten days later. I was very nervous on the day of surgery but everything went extremely smoothly. I have to say my eyes at times were uncomfortable for about two weeks after surgery but this was because my brain was not used to properly functioning eyes! I went for a post op check up a few days ago and I now have 20/20 vision. Quite a tall order, going from -11 to no prescription. Today I took my daughter to the waterslides and didn’t need to worry about my lenses coming out or worry about going underwater. It’s so liberating. I would thoroughly recommend Accuvison. From start to finish I felt I was dealing with a centre of excellence. And further to the comment by the Observer, yes all the surgeons are members of the General Medical Council. My surgeon was Mr Ayliffe.