Optical Express

Pre operative assessments very thorough - I had to have several repeat scans to ensure prescription stability. Lots of information given at every stage and all questions answered. At the clinic on the day of the op, not as much waiting around as predicted but did feel very nervous. Staff were friendly but felt a little like a conveyor belt. Surgeon was very good, and surgical team tried hard to make me feel relaxed as I was quite obviously shaking with nerves! Actually procedure uncomfortable but painless and very quick. I had a very high prescription and steep astigmatism so had a lot of laser. Sore for about 2 hours afterwards then amazing! Had treatment at 5pm, by 11am the next morning at post op check, had better than 20/20 and eyes felt absolutely fine. Occassional grittiness felt (day 2 now)but really nothing worse than wearing contacts. Eyes quite red and bruised on white area but vision still brilliant. I'm absolutely over the moon with the whole thing!

I have Wavefront Intralsae Lasic with the Optical Express Southampton clinic in December 2009 following consultation at the Horsham branch in the middle of the year. I initially had consultations with Optical Express and Ultralase to make a comparison between the two companies. I did find optical express a little bit more salesy and thought that the Ultralase set up in Guildford looked more professional as it was in a separate building rather than a shoppiong centre. After lots of reading reviews and research i decided that there was no benefit in paying £1200 more for what seemed the same treatment at Ultralase - they did hard sell their lifetime care plan which when you read into it does not really tell you what is covered. I found both companies professional and informative at the consultations and the only difference being that Ultralase told me that there was no point going for standard Lasic and that I 'needed' wavefront. I must say that the treatment itself was really nothing to worry about, the staff in Southampton made me feel very comfortable by joking and chatting with me during the checks etc. My only negative comment here would be about being left downstairs in the shop area for too long before being taken upstairs to the laser treatment rooms and not being informed well enough about timings and what was happening next. I met my surgeon Mrs Joanna McGraw who explained what the treatment would consist of and not to worry - she was very calming. The treatment itself was painless Joanne and her assistants made me feel very at ease and explained everything they were doing. In total the treatment lasted less than 2 mins per eye although you are in surgery longer because of setting up etc. I walked out of the surgery assisted and could see without glasses - in fact I forgot to take my glasses back out with me. There was less discomfort than I expected on the first day although I did have blurriness and double vision. I was told that when I woke up the next day I would have a big surprise and i did – I could see perfectly! Its now a month since my treatment and my distance vision is superb, my near vision is not as good as it was but this was expected – I would rather wear glasses 10% of the time for reading than 100% of the time. The halos at night-time are MUCH better and continuing to improve. Optical express have now seen me three times since my treatment and are happy with my progress. My advice is not to read too much about laser treatment – get it done – its fantastic and I would have no hesitation in recommending Optical Express at Southampton for treatment.

Dec 2009 ---Had both eyes done at the Leeds branch within 5 days of each other, from consultation through to aftercare. Outstanding 10/10 . No complaints just praise. A professional team . Special thanks to NYREE, - DR KHAN & all in the aftercare team. Suffered with NYSTAGMATISM all my life --that’s wobbly eyes to the layman-- and could only dream that this day would come. Thanks again, Him802@hotmail.com

I have some vouchers for treatment. £150 off. If you want one then send me an email with your address and i will post it to you

I had a very good experience with Optical Express in Bristol. The surgeon was Tom Matterman who I found to be friendly and the nurses were also very good at letting you know what was happening and keeping you calm.

After over 20 years of glasses and contacts I had my eyes lazered in Bristol at Cabot Circus on the 13th March. We traveled up by train fron Exeter and stayed at the Future Inn opposite. Everyone was very friendly and made me feel comfortable. My surgeon was Waseem Aziz. He and his team were very profesional. The actual treatmeant lasted all of ten minutes and it was done! The local anaesthetic wears off very quickly tho and it is just as they describe it….sand in your eyes. This was VERY uncomfortable for a couple of hours and was at least five hours before I could really open my eyes poperly so its a good idea to have someone with you. That said my vision was already amazing and that night went out for a meal and it just felt like i had my contacts in for too long! You get three different drops to put in regularly for the first week and catchy goggles to wear at night lol. The next day at my 24hr check up I already had better than 20/20 vision! I went straight back to work on the Monday too. Now over a week later my sight is fantastic. My eyes feel very dry in the mornings but just put some drops in and im fine. I would recommend it to anyone but do what I did and stay at the Future Inn opposite. I dont know why Optical Express dont do a deal with Future Inn or a similar place! Wish there was a clinic in Exeter or nearer to home somewhere in the South West. Do it, do it now!

Initial consultation took place in Inverness and it was eventually decided that my prescription was too high for laser surgery, left eye -8.45 and right eye -11.00. Taking into account my age (65) it was decided that refractive lens exchange would be the best option and a consultation appointment was made at Princes Street in Edinburgh. I saw Dr Mantry and explained that I needed to be able to drive at night, I also spend a couple of hours a day at the computer and I am an avid reader! For many years, my short sight has been slightly under-corrected on the right eye to enable me to read without varifocals, so we agreed on fixed focus lenses with the right eye being slightly under corrected. I was really scared before the first procedure, but they give you something to keep you from freaking out. The whole thing was done in about 15 minutes and wasn’t at all unpleasant. They put a patch over my eye, gave me a cup of tea and biscuits and instructions regarding the drops and walked me round the corner to my lift. I removed the patch that evening to put the first drops in and, although my vision was a bit cloudy (to be expected) I could tell it was going to be good! Next morning, I opened the curtains and looked out and found it very hard to believe what I was seeing. It was spectacular, and that was just with my non-dominant eye. Frustratingly, I had to wait 2 weeks for the next eye to be done as we were cut off by snow, but Optical Express were able to change my appointment to suit. I had no fear second time around, I was so looking forward to it. Same procedure but the next morning it was just incredible. I’ve worn specs/contact lenses since I was 6 and have never been able to see like this. When they checked my eyes the following morning, I was nearly 20/20 in the right eye and was able to read 3 lines better than 20/20 with the left eye. I had no pain or discomfort at any time. I can drive day and night, operate the computer and read all but small print without any reading glasses. So, why only 4.5 rating? Some of the admin procedures were a bit lax but I have since written to them and received a phone call to say that the issues are being addressed. I would especially like to thank Anna and Hans in Inverness and Dr Mantry and his team in Edinburgh for their support and amazing skills.

My experience with Optical Express was very mixed. My surgeon Susanna Boytha was incredibly good and put me at ease from start to finish and this was helped by the fantastic nurse who calmed me down and held my hand throughout the whole procedure. The next day I was able to see perfectly and found out my vision was already better than 20/20 at my check up! Sadly, the surgeoun and her team were completely let down by the customer service I recieved. Every single time I went to the clinic they had no idea who I was or what I was in for, I did not recieive a single thing in the post, including a receipt even though I phoned numerous times to check they had my address right. At my appointment a week after the surgery they thought I was in for a contact lens appointment and my counsellor completely ignored me! All in all I would recommend Optical Express for treatment, but I would be evry clear about demanding a bit of respect, I'm not sure if it was just because I am a 19 year old girl they tretaed me this way (although i paid cash straight away?)

I had my consultations in Torquay where staff were able to check my suitability and talk me through all of the surgery before I went ahead with it. After deciding it was what I wanted, they booked me in for the Bristol clinic and my surgeon was Tom Mattermann who is very proffesional and well educated on the subject, putting me at ease straight away. All the staff at Bristol were extremely friendly and helped put mine (and my Mum's) mind at rest before the surgery. The treatment was quick and I could see results straight away, discomfort lasted only a couple of hours. I'd highly recommend Optical Express to anyone considering Laser Eye Surgery!

I had my surgery at Optical Express in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol. I felt welcome and calm all the way through the prelimanary tests and the surgery I had on the day of the treatment. I cannot fault the care and reassurance I was given by all the staff at Optical Express. The procedure itself was completely painless with no discomfort at all. The only point I would like to make is:- I live 2 hours away from Optical Express in Cribbs Causeway, and on the rather sunny drive home, the anesthetic eventually wore off and my eyes began to sting like I was peeling onions.... This was very uncomfortable for a total of about 3.5 hours, even 2 pairs of sunglasses did not help. Once I had laid down in a dark room having taken my eye drops, the stinging went away quite quickly and I managed to open my eyes and see fairly clearly. The point I would like to make is, if I had known this prior to the procedure, I probably would have stayed in a hotel in Bristol over night and travelled back the next day. So, beware potential patients - if you live a long way away from your nearest clinic.... A week on from my surgery and my eyes are brilliant! I would still highly recommend it to anybody.