Optical Express

six weeks on after surgery in birmingham and been told better than 20/20 vision more than happy with the results. would recommend to anyone. my only advice follow the drops religiously and you will be fine

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.

I would recommend this to anyone. I got Wavefront surgery yesterday in the Optical Express in Glasgow and was in and out in 40 mins. As soon as it was over I could read the signs on the walls round the room, something I could never have done before without my glasses or contact lenses. The day after and my eyesight is even better than it was before. The only part of the whole process that really scared me is the check up the following day, knowing what the risks are you tend to worry that something might be wrong but all was great! I am glad I had it done and thank you to the staff and the surgeon.

Had lasek on 2nd Feb 2006, left eye -1.25 right eye -1.75 with astigmatism, left eye recovered very quickly within 2 weeks but right eye still slighty blurry after 4 weeks, i know each eye recovers at different rates but i dont seem to notice much difference on a day to day basis, has anyone else experienced this length of time with one eye or both even, would like to here from anyone with similar experience

I am due to have lasek treatment in Reading, Surrey. Has anyone had used this branch, and what experiences have you had. Thank you in advance.

First of all let me say thank you to the excellent Mr George and his team at Birmingham who performed Wavefront Lasik in both eyes on 7th February, they were both very professional and calming. Also my thanks go to their Commercial Manager who when faced with a 'cock up' by the Meadowhall branch with my notes, held his hands up and apologised and offered without hesitation an upgrade of my treatment. Every company makes mistakes but the way they resolve them is the true test and in this Optical Express came through with flying colours. As for my eyes, almost three weeks after treatment Im still having some dry eye which does affect my vision but there are plenty of moments of real clarity which hopefully will become more the norm in the weeks and months to come. Is it worth it?, hell yes!

I had the LASEK treatment in September 2005. Initially, the check up before the treatment was straight forward and I was comforted by the optician, Chris at Milton Keynes, who I felt was professional in what he did, even though the administrative staff could do with some improvement, and it was for this reason that I went with Optical Express. The surgeon and his team were great and inspired confidence in what was about to happen. It's not until you sit in the chair and the chair swivels around and you're looking at the laser when you think "holy cow, what am I doing here?". A lot of things run through your mind just before the surgery, but then you have to bite the bullet and take that plunge and just do it. After the procedure, I could see the clock on the wall fairly clearly - 4pm. It only took 15 mins to change my vision. About 5 mins after the procedure, my eyes were streaming with tears and they began to hurt. The best thing I did was to get home, get my husband to put some drops in my eyes, take some pain killers, put the necessary eye protector on and go to sleep. The first 16 hours were really tough. But then after that it got a lot easier. I had 98% good vision within 2 weeks of surgery. Exactly 3 months after the surgery, I had my check up and the optician couldn't tell that I had eye laser surgery since the cornea had healed very well. The surgery is the best thing I have ever done and would highly recommend it to any one who is considering it. It's changed my life completely - I can see my toes when I'm in the shower, I don't have to worry about glasses steaming up when I open the oven door and it doesn't matter if it rains. 5 months on and I am still grateful to the team that has made this possible and thank my luck stars that I did this. Well worth the pain and the occasional dry eyes.

I had lasek five weeks ago at Milton Keynes. The consultants have been very helpful and friendly throughout. The procedure itself I found very uncomfortable and quite traumatic, particularly for the first eye but I think I was just not mentally prepared. The discomfort the following week was about the same as pealing onions - very watery and much more comfortable with eyes shut. However, after I'd had the protective lenses removed after three days the recovery has been great! My left eye had perfect vision almost immediately. My right eye took a further week before it caught up which was a bit disorientating. Three weeks after the procedure my eyesight was great! Five weeks later (now), I have forgotten what it was like to wear glasses (after 20 years) and am just so pleased I've had it done. I still get dry eyes in the mornings but I am assured this will pass. I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it. It is not pain or trauma free but definitely worth it!

Surgery on the 08/10/05 in birmingham. Excellent service and after care. No pain what so ever. Wish i had it done years ago.Discharged onlyafter 3 months. Now have 20/20 vision. Just one thing to remember, you have to follow the after care instructions and do everything that you are told to do, then you will have no problems. After all the people that are caring for you know what is best. Please listen to them. They are the best. Thank you again for making it possible for me to see again.It has changed my life so much.

First of all let me say thank you to the excellent Mr George and his team at Birmingham who performed Wavefront Lasik in both eyes on 7th February, they were both very professional and calming. Also my thanks go to their Commercial Manager who when faced with a 'cock up' by the Meadowhall branch with my notes, held his hands up and apologised and offered without hesitation an upgrade of my treatment. Every company makes mistakes but the way they resolve them is the true test and in this Optical Express came through with flying colours. As for my eyes, 10 days after treatment Im still having some dry eye which does affect my vision but there are plenty of moments of real clarity which hopefully will become more the norm in the weeks and months to come. Is it worth it?, hell yes!