Optical Express

I had Lasik/Wavefront surgery carried out at London Shaftsbury Avenue on the 03-03-06. I only suffered with mild short sightness -1.75 in both eyes. The procedure last approx 10 minutes from walking in the operating room to leaving the room. The actual laser part in self lasts only about 30 seconds per eye. The preparation where your eye lid is taped back was very uncomfortable (but not painful) After surgery it was a mixture of feeling like having grit in your eyes (and remember you cannot rub your eyes) and a feeling that you have been peeling onions were your eyes weep. After an eight hour sleep in a local B+B. I did not like taking the risk of taking the tube after surgery in case of infection, I was total pain free. A follow up the following day showed better than 20/20 vision. For me it was a very positive experience although I feel the recent advertising of £395-00 per eye is a little misleading to the vast amount of potential clients. The surgeon who under took my operation Mr Giledi did a a 10/10 job for me. Although I feel time spent researching your surgeon would be time well spent. Its not for everyone but it worked for me. Good luck

Hi Just returned from Birmingham clinic for 2 week post op appointment. Seen very quickly and not rushed at. Mentioned that my eyes are still blurred and night vision a problem (Still cant drive at night) They explained that this was normal and would settle down with time. She tested my vision which without the blurring is better than 20/20 now in both eyes. She has given me some differnt drops to put into my eyes to help with the blurring. Todays visit was really re-assuring and positive. i feel much happier now. Thanks

I am 25 and French, but living in Edinburgh for nearly 3 years now. Laser surgery is not really known in France, but I got the first hint of laser in UK in December 2005. Since this moment, I was considered having it or not, until I met two people who had it done without problems. I have -4.25 in my right eye, and -5.50 with .025 and in the left. And I have dry eyes... 1. Laser Consultant My first visit was at optical Express in Georges Street - Edinburgh. The staffs were polite and visit went ok. Both advisor and optometrist were patient and explained everything. I even came back with more questions and only had to wait 5 min before seeing somebody! Clinic is in Glasgow but you can have the free check-up in your local branch. Consultancy is free. Price: Standard lasik: £1690 for both eyes, add £300 per eye for Wavefront and add again £400 per eye for Intralase (so £3090) Optimax. I asked for a brochure on-line. I had it within two days. It stated that you have to pay for the consultancy, but it is done with a surgeon so I though it was worth having it. Then I received am email offering me 1/2 price for consultation and up to £310 for lasik if I booked consultation before the end of the month. I though it was really commercial but I went ahead. Clinic in Glasgow, check-up free in Glasgow or chargeable at a preferred partner in Edinburgh. Consultancy is £60.00. God! Annoying people who phone you nearly ounce every two days the week before the consultation to check if you are coming. In their terms and conditions, you can get operated the same day of your consultancy, if you wait an hour between!! Staff is not really polite, prefer finishing private conversation before taking care of you. I wait 45 min before they realise that I was overdue for my appointment. Having paid £30.00, you should expect the surgeon to be polite and pay attention to you; but this one was more preoccupied about going out for lunch. Conclusion: even if £500 cheaper, I will not go for them. Ultralase. I was supposed to have a third appointment with them but personal pbs prevent me from going. Very nice person, polite and comprehensive (I cancel the appointment on the day). However, slightly more expensive than Optical Express (around +£300) and do not provide check-up in Edinburgh (Only at the Glasgow clinic) Conclusion: I booked with Optical Express for Lasik Wavefront+Intralase. Yes the more expensive one, but my eyes have no price. Provisional booking made for 17th July, as the book is not opened so far in advance. Finger crossed. I will tell more in July.

I had my wavefront lasik treatment just over a week ago at optical express newcastle. The staff were all really friendly and professional which helped me feel at ease as i was a bit nervous. I had various checks before I went in for my actual treatment. I was quite surprised that I didn't have to be kept waiting. The surgeon said I would hear a buzzing noise when they cut my cornea but i didn't realize how loud it would be and I flinched. Luckily it didn't affect my eye! There was no pain at all during treatment but the smell of burning was a bit off putting! 1/2hr after treatment I was in a restaurant accross the road from optical express with my sunglasses on and my eyes were stinging quite badly and tears were streaming down my face,I just wanted to get home. Once at home I went to sleep as adviced and the next morning I felt alot better in my right eye but my left was still sore. At my check up I could see ok in my right eye but I had double vision in my left. I kept taking all my different drops and my left eye started to feel better. a week on I have better that 20/20 vision. It's amazing I don't know why everyone doesn't have it done. All those years I wore my horrid glasses and uncomfortable contact lenses!

I had Lasik with wavefront and Intralase just over two weeks ago. Actual operation wasn't pleasant but was over so quickly you don't really have time to fret. Very efficiently executed. The first week post op was pretty nasty for me. couldn't really do much. Second week better and I am now into my third week. Each day my eyes feel more comfortable although I can relate to the comments about headaches - like a pulling sensation when you get a brand new prescription in your glasses. As far as vision is concerned I was around -8.00 and was told that I might be left with a small prescription and although this doesn't settle down for a month after the op I reckon I will be left with around -1.5 or close to that. 20/20 is what I have now - which isn't as good as with glasses which give much better than 20/20 it seems. Overall a good move

Date of operation: 5/1/2007 Branch: Glasgow Surgeon: Mr David Teenan Treatment: Wavefront Intralase - Lasik (both eyes) Hello folks. My name's Greg and I'm 21 years old. I had my laser eye surgery just over 3 months ago as I am intending on enlisting in the British Army, though felt glasses would be a hindrance for my (hopefully) future career (My prescription was quite moderate). Currently I experience halos at night, slight astigmatism in my left eye and at times dry eyes (a side effect that's admittedly exacerbated by my working conditions, though I don't really consider it bothersome). My eye sight though is very functional and near perfect minor complications aside. Glasgow clinic, staff were / are very friendly, chatty (especially "Greta from South Dakota", excellent councilor!) and professional, all staff I encountered, great personal skills. The surgeon himself Mr David Teenan very patient, professional and direct with you. Surgery itself, usual notes of interest; slight burning smell detected when laser used, brief pressure in eye when tube attached, slight discomfort when clamps applied (my long eye lashes really are a pain in the backside, especially with that air puff test and administering drops!) Absolutely no pain felt during surgery. When the anesthetic wears off you really want to find yourself in a dark room attempting to grab a couple of hours sleep as your eyes are that light sensitive. I read through the other recent Glasgow comments and would echo the sentiments regarding the long waiting times / "conveyor belt" feeling. The place REALLY is busy and regardless of the money spent (mine most likely being the highest) it's very surreal seeing the volume of people entering and leaving the waiting lounge / treatment room. Aftercare treatment I'm pleased with also - I'm receiving additional aftercare appointments to monitor any changes in the astigmatism in my left eye and am satisfied that my eyes will fully settle as time goes. I'll need to pass a VERY thorough eye examination by an Army Ophthalmologist (unfortunately Britain has yet to catch up with the USA who are very pro-laser eye surgery in their armed forces) so if I find myself somewhere hot, arid and sandy in 1-2 years time then you'll know that an eye specialist independent of Optical Express has deemed my new eyes satisfactory. I'll update come that time. So to conclude, big thumbs up for the Glasgow Clinic. Any questions, feel free to e-mail. Cheers,

I had wavefront lasik with intralase on 30th March at Optical Express in Glasgow city centre. My surgeon was absolutely fantastic, she reassured me throughout the procedure, which was uncomfortable but not painful. I noticed an improvement in my vision straight away, and the next day was even better, however, 11 days later the vision in my right eye is still quite blurred, and nowhere near the vision I have in my left eye. When I went to my check up last Saturday they said it was because my eyes were still healing, but I am worried I'll need an enhancement. My pre- surgery prescription was -7 in my left eye and -9 in my right. I just wondered if there is anyone else out there who has had lasik with such a high prescription, and if so, how long did it take for your vision to settle? I would really appreciate any replies.

Its day 3 after my surgery at Shaftsbury Ave with Dr Rodney Blumenfeld. I had Lasik with Wavefront and found the procedure to not be painful at all. Yes it was uncomfortable but defiantly not painful. I had all of my pre-op and will have all of my post-op appointments at Reading. I have to say that the customer service in Reading is pour. Although with the customer service issues and the Healthcare Commission report I decided to have my surgery at Shaftsbury. Customer service at Shaftsbury was 10 out of 10…..unlike rude Reading. After the surgery all I wanted to do was close my eyes. I got home and had 2 hours sleep and my vision was fine when I woke up. My 1 day post-op appointment told me that I have better than 20/20 vision. Today I am back at work although the sun coming through the windows is a bit glary. I am told this will take a month or so to settle down. As I whole I would recommend the surgery, it’s worth the money. I had a -2.25 in my left eye and a -3.00 in my right eye and now I can see better than I have for over 10 years!!! If anyone has any questions happy to answer them.

I had LASEK surgery on 6th April 2007. I couldn't believe how quick it was over. I was at the clinic at Nottingham for just over 2 hours altogether (my appointment was at 10.30) I lay down for my surgery at 12.25 and was walking back to the car at 12.40. The surgery wasn't painful at all but very slightly uncomfortable. When I got home I went to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up I could see perfectly. I thought the pain would start the following day. When I woke up on the Saturday I was scared to open my eyes,when I eventually did I could still see perfectly. I had prepared myself for not being able to see for 3-4 days. I went for my check up the day after my surgery and was assured that the pain would come later that day. It did. On Easter Sunday and Monday it was ever so uncomfortable to open my eyes, they were very light sensitive and gritty. I had the contact lenses removed on Easter Tuesday and oh what a relief. Straight after having the lenses removed I was planning on shopping but my eyesight was very blurry and of course I was trying to look at everything and this made me feel dizzy and sick so I went home for more sleep. The following days when I woke up I struggled to open my eyes it was initially very painful as though my eyelids were stuck to my eyes. As the day went on everything became more and more blurry, then the same process would start again the next day. I went back to work the following Monday and could only manage half days for the 1st 2 days. I stuck with it though and by the Thursday 1 decided to put the blink drops in every hour rather than every 2 hours. This helped. I went for my 2 week post op checkup on Friday 20th April and was told that my eyes were extremely dry and every morning when I woke up my eyelids were peeling the new cells from th front of my eyes and I was effectively starting from scratch every single day. I was given some viscotears eye gel to help this and since I started to use this a week ago my vision has become better and better each day. If only I have been given this from the start I would have healed much faster. Maybe I should have rang the clinic nd explained the situation but I could see that I was getting gradually better each day so just put it down to me being a slow healer. Anyway I am over the moon with how things have progressed just in the past week since I started using the viscotears. I have another appointment on 3rd May and I know I will be able to read much further on the chart. I am so gladI had the surgery and although the 1st 2 weeks weren't so good I am so relieved I am now alot better. I would recommend this to anyone!!!!

Having looked over this website (which I found very helpful!:) I decided to try consultations at two clinics: Optical Express in Reading and Accuvision in Fulham. I was hoping to prefer Accuvision to be honest because it was half the price, but decided on Optical Express for the following reasons: 1)Although the Accuvision optometrist was very explanatory and informative, he had a definite salesman vibe to him which I did not like. 2)The equipment, setup and to some degree his methods seemed more amateur compared to Optical Express. 3)I was expecting Accuvision to quote me £1100 (pounds) for both eyes and Optical Express £2200 (including Wavefront) but Accuvision quoted me £1500 whereas Optical Express was actually cheaper than I expected at £1990 (£695 per eye plus £300 for wavefront). Accuvision told me the quote was based on pupil size, cornea thickness, prescription, etc. but although I do have very large pupils, it wasn’t made crystal clear why I was being charged more. I chose to have a second eye test at Optical Express as I was given an unusual prescription, and the second test seemed to be more accurate. They said that it could have been because of me not having worn my lenses for longer for the second check, and because I’m fairly young and I wear continuous-wear lenses which I rarely take out. I accepted their explanation and decided to go ahead with the surgery. All checks were done by opthamologists/optometrists, and although the surgeon checked the paper work the physical checks on my eyes done by her and my final chat with her was very brief, but I guess their time is precious and everyone else is supposed to be well trained anyway. The surgery was just strange rather than overly uncomfortable or unnerving, and the twenty minutes was over in no time. The discomfort hit after the local anaesthetic wore off (ask for a top up before you leave!) which was about half an hour, and my eyes ran and felt uncomfortable every time I opened. My slight cold didn’t help either. However the following morning I could see brilliantly and had only slight discomfort occasionally in one eye for another two days. The biggest continuing challenge has been getting out of the habit of rubbing them! It’s now been over a month and I have 20:16 vision. The starburst effect around lights at night still hasn’t gone totally yet probably because of my large pupils but it is actually better than before the surgery (I just didn’t notice it before) so I can’t complain! My thanks go to the people at Optical Express Reading.