Optical Express has grown to become one of Europe’s leading providers of laser eye surgery. It operates over 200 clinics, of which 100 are specifically designated laser consultation clinics and 54 are laser treatment clinics.
With locations throughout the UK, Holland, Germany, Ireland, France and Croatia, Optical Express has carried out over one million laser eye surgery procedures worldwide. What’s more, over 99% of patients would recommend Optical Express to their friends and family.
Pros: Value for money, caring surgeons, 128 UK clinics, latest technology, dedicated aftercare
Cons: No fixed prices (talk to them for a quote)
☝ Compare clinics: See if there are any other top-rated clinics near you, and use our simple tool to receive a personalised quote.
- Optical Express Laser Eye Surgery Review
- Prices
- Treatments
- The Verdict
- Surgeon Reviews
- 1,806 Patient Reviews
1. Optical Express Laser Eye Surgery Review
I’m very happy with my laser treatment. There’s nothing to worry about – there’s no pain, and I would recommend it to anybody. The aftercare at Optical Express is also very good. I just wish i had done it years ago. – Philip Lavelle
Optical Express uses world leading technology, and their laser platform – the VISX S4IR – delivers safe, accurate and precise results. Fun fact: Optical Express is the only vision correction provider to invest in the iFS150 intraLASE in each of its clinics – the same technology that led to NASA backing laser eye surgery for astronauts in 2007.
Over 99% of Optical Express patients achieved 20/20 vision or better following treatment, according to a study carried out in June 2017.
With over 25 years’ experience in eye care, Optical Express boasts excellent surgical outcomes, and has invested £400 million in technology to offer advanced methods for vision correction.
Optical Express has 128 clinics in the UK alone – far more than any other eye surgery provider. Its locations include London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dublin, with many more situated in all corners of the country.
Here is how nearly 2,000 real customers rate Optical Express for its clinic, cost, treatments and surgeons:
| Optical Express Rating Overall | Clinic Rating | Cost Rating | Surgeon Rating | Treatments Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (4.6 out of 5) | (4.5 out of 5) | (4.8 out of 5) | (4.5 out of 5) | (4.7 out of 5) |
CQC Rating: Good
- Treating people with respect and involving them in their care
- Providing care, treatment and support that meets people’s needs
- Caring for people’s safely and protecting them from harm
- Staffing
- Quality and suitability of management
2. Optical Express Laser Eye Surgery Cost
True, it was an expensive operation, but I spent £500 a year on contact lenses and optician appointments – I see it as an investment! – Dave Reyner
(4.8 out of 5)
Laser eye surgery at Optical Express costs from just £595, or from £1,995 for lens replacement surgery. Of course, these prices depend on the treatment you choose, as well as your prescription, so you’ll want to pop in for a free consultation to get a tailored quote.
Optical Express is one of the cheapest laser eye surgery clinics in the UK. Its prices are well below average, compared to over 70 leading eye clinics and hospitals nationwide.
There are also a range of pay monthly finance options, so you can benefit from eye surgery for less than £50 a month – and it’s 0% finance for 10 month contracts.
Are there any hidden costs? No, the consultation is free, and you even get free eye tests worth £800. The only downside is not having fixed prices like at Optegra and Optimax, but at least the costs are lower at the end of the day.
Here are the prices of some of Optical Express’ popular lens and laser surgery options:
| Eye Surgery Procedure | Price (per eye) | Finance Options (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| LASEK | From £595 | £49.50 (10 months on 0% APR, £100 deposit) |
| LASIK | From £1,195 | £42.02 (for 18 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| LASEK (with iDesign) | From £1,495 | £41.69 (for 24 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| LASIK (with iDesign) | From £1,495 | £46.35 (for 24 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| Monofocal lens surgery | From £1,995 | £48.89 (for 36 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| Multifocal lens surgery | From £3,195 | £47.39 (for 72 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| Phakic IOL | From £3,395 | £47.39 (for 72 months on 11.5% APR, £500 deposit) |
| YAG | From £595 | N/A |
☛ Want a tailored quote? The only way to compare exact quotes is to see an eye expert for a check-up. These can cost up to £250, but with our simple tool, you can find out how much laser or lens surgery will cost you at Optical Express for free.
3. Laser Eye Surgery Treatments
Fantastic! I am so pleased I has the treatment – playing sports is so much easier! All the staff were very helpful, reassuring, and happy answering my questions. I’ll definitely be recommending Optical Express to everyone, their service is excellent! – Stephanie Yeadon
(4.7 out of 5)
Laser Eye Surgery
Laser eye surgery is a simple procedure that can correct your vision in a matter of minutes. Optical Express offers the most popular types: LASIK and LASEK (if you are not suitable for the surgical LASIK).
In both treatments, a cool beam advanced laser reshapes the cornea (the surface of your eye). Optical Express uses a technology called iDesign, which is based on Wavefront technology and takes thousands of eye measurements to produce the best results.
Lens Replacement
Optical Express has 20 years’ experience in lens replacement surgery. This surgery is a popular treatment for people with long distance vision, short distance vision, and even cataracts.
An eye consultant can help you decide which surgery best suits your needs:
- Refractive lens exchange (RLE) – This surgery replaces the natural lens with a synthetic intraocular lens (IOL) implant.
- Phakic IOL – This type of IOL is an alternative to laser eye surgery for patients with strong prescriptions.
- YAG laser treatment – YAG laser capsulotomy is a non-invasive procedure used to treat refractive former lens exchange patients whose vision starts to fade over the years.
Cataract Surgery
Optical Express performs the highest number of cataract surgeries – after the NHS, according to its website.
Cataracts are small, blurry patches on your eyes, giving you cloudy vision. Cataract surgery involves removing your damaged lens, and replacing it with a premium synthetic one for sharper near and distance vision.
Aftercare
Optical Express custom-fits its aftercare plan to every patient. This plan includes any medication that will aid the healing process, optometrist-led follow-up appointments, and an out-of-hours medical helpline.
Patients receive 12 months’ continued care as standard, and Optical Express recommends annual examinations to maintain your eye health.
Safety Record
All surgical procedures carry a degree of risk. However, laser eye surgery has an impressive success rate, and is the most popular elective surgery in the world.
99.2% of patients achieved at least 20|20 vision following surgery at Optical Express, based on a study of 190,231 Optical Express patients with the most common prescriptions. That’s why this eye clinic promises 20|20 vision or your money back.
Just be aware that the risks increase the more complicated the surgery. Optical Express will provide a screening service to check whether you are suitable for surgical treatment.
4. The Verdict
I can highly recommend Optical Express. They are very professional, and the procedure was pain free. The best thing now is I can see very well without glasses – and it was only done 3 weeks ago. – Elaine Gibson
(4.6 out of 5)
Optical Express is the best voted place for laser and lens replacement surgery, based on nearly 9,000 independent reviews on Lasik Eyes since 2002. With hard-to-beat prices, leading technology, and fully qualified surgeons, this clinic tops the list of best laser eye surgery clinics in the UK, as well as taking the crown for:
- Best eye surgery in London
- Best eye surgery in Scotland
- Best eye surgery in Manchester
- Best eye surgery in Bristol
But is it right for you? The only way to find out is to see if you’re eligible for 20/20 vision or your money back, and to get a tailored quote. That’s why we make it easy to pop in for a free consultation, have free eye tests (worth £800), and talk through your options with an eye expert.
Next steps: Our simple tool helps thousands of readers a day get one step closer to 20/20 sight:
- Find the top clinic in seconds: Answer three questions to be matched with the leading eye clinic in your area
- Check you’re eligible in minutes: Receive a quick call to check you can get surgery (we don’t share your number with anyone else)
- Book a free consultation: Talk to an expert at a clinic you can trust for a free eye test (worth £800) and personalised quote (with no obligation)
☛ Click here to find the best clinic near you, and receive a tailored quote.
5. Optical Express Surgeons
Mr Mehul Damani
MBBS, MS, DOMS, DNB, FRCS
Mr Luca Antico
MD
Mr Manek Patel
MD, RCOph
Mr Dimitri Kazakos
MD, MRCOphth
Dr Mohammed Shabbar Kazmi
MBBS, FRCS(Opth)
Mr Jonathan Carr
MD MA(Cantab) FRCOphth
Doctor Jan Venter
MD
Mr Khalid Khan
MBBS FRCS FRCOphth
Mr Jacobus Pauw
MBChB MMedOphth FCSOphth
Mr Sanjay Mantry
FRCOphth FRCS FRCS
Mr Andre Oberholster
MBChb MMedOphth
Mr Stefan Klopper
MBChB FCS
Mr Waseem Aziz
MB ChB FRCS
Mr Alex George
FRCOphth, FRCS MS, DOMS, DNB
6. Optical Express Reviews
Andy
Leeds Clinic, fantastic people and results to fantastic to have believed possible
John
Had Lasik Surgery on the 23/11/07 at the Reading Optical Express branch. Been 2 days since and my vision is great. I now have 20/20 vison in my right eye and 20/16 in my left and told they will still improve. My prescription before surgery was -4 in right eye and -3.75 in left eye. The surgery went really well and i was advised on what was happening, it was only slightly uncomfortable and went by in a flash. I do have slight inflammation in my left eye which i have been told is common in my left eye but have no pain at all. Also do have slight halo looking at light at night but it is bareable and told it will improve over time but other then that i have no symptoms. The only hard thing i am finding difficult is all the eye drops that i need to take and making sure i take them!! If you get Dr Joanne Mcgraw then you are in the best hands as she was fantastic.
Elaine Eadie
optical express in dundee with graeme/raymond excellent customer service if it wasnt for graeme and raymond i would not have found enough confidence to have the lasik surgery. can now see perfectly without glasses/contact lenses for the first time in 30 years a dream that I never thought could be fulfilled
Andrew Jnr
The following is an extract from my e-journal [thank god for mobile phones and the internet!!] Sunday 18th November 2007: Usually when you wake up in the morning you do the usual getting up, going to the bathroom, taking a shower routine but today I realised that come tommorrow my routine will never be the same! Went downstairs and for the first time in a long while I began to "see" things around me. As a society we spend so much time looking [ie looking out the window, looking over our work, looking at each other etc] that i noticed things that I'd never noticed before.....birds in the trees, cats crossing the street, and the colours of the sunrise. Maybe it was just nerves from realising that tommorrow is going to be a "life changing experience"...........at least thats what the brouchre reads!! As I'm writing this its actually began to snow!! Hope thats a good sign for tommorrow!! Monday 19th November 2007: Got up this morning all excited. Snows pretty much melted!! Catching a 7:30am bus to Milton Keynes to have CUSTOMVUE WAVEFRONT with INTRALASE so I've got to run jump in the shower, change and start my journey towards perfect vision!! Just arrived at Milton Keynes....wasn't nerves until my sister started filling my head with her worries!! I've sent her shopping to keep her out of the way!! Pretty much have ten minutes before Im up....now i'm nervous!! Monday 19th November 2007 Afternoon: Firstly I'd like to say that I have a wonderful sister who was kind enough to accompany me to my surgery day and who has agreed to jot down my after thought!!! The surgery was AMAZING!!! If you know anyone thinking of going ahead with it when they say mild discomfort, they mean mild discomfort. Surgery was over in about ten minutes including setting up and everything!!! I came out and could see the tv screen in the reception area and was reading words from the screen!!! Not bad for someone who was a R&L -3.75/-2.00X90!! Going home to sleep now and then do my course of drops!! Monday 26th November 2007: This has been an amazing week! Bought my first pair of non prescription sunglasses!! I'm reading signs at great distances that I never thought I could read!! My colour contrast is wonderful and in all honesty it feels like I'm viewing the world in HD!!! I'd like to thank the wonderful staff members of the Aylesbury Branch [actually need to see the lovely dentist and hygienist out there!!] who referred to over to the wonderful staff members at Milton Keynes for my consultation. My laser counsellors [it took many people to help me on my laser journey!!] Jade, Dot, Stacey (Milton Keynes), Sian, Dianne, and Todd (Aylesbury) thank you all. My Specialist Laser Optometrists Rina Bagdhi, Deepa Katechia, Sreeti Patel and Dasi Raju thank you for for you assessments and your post operative advice. The surgery team at Milton Keynes were all helpful, supportive, and quickly put me at ease and were very wonderful on my 24hour post op too!! Thank you very much ladies!! Last but by no means least I'd like to thank Rodney Blumenfeld for a great surgery experience and would have no problems recommending him, the Milton Keynes Surgery, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury consultation teams or Optical Express!!!
Penny Sweeney
Hi everyone, I had my consultation at Optical Express in Bristol and am due to have my treatment on Friday 14th December. So far the clinic have been excellent. The staff are very professional and caring and even took me to see the operating room etc on Thursday when I went in to arrange payment. Everything they have said as put my at ease. I wanted lasik but have been told that due to my relatively low prescription LASEK will be better. I am excited but nervous about the op and the recovery. Having read lots on the net I am really concerned about the recovery. Lots of people have said they were totally debilitated by the surgery and couldn't open their eyes for days, were extremely light sensitive (comments such as lying in a dark room with sunglasses on didn't help) and now I am really starting to worry. I will obviously have help from my husband during the post-op days and my 2 young children will go to my parents for 2 nights but I am concerned how I will cope. If anyone out there can tell me how it really is (warts and all!) I would really appreciate it. I am expecting some discomfort obviously but am now beginning to really brick it :-(. Thanks guys! x
alan salsbury
The service I received was professional but friendly. All the staff who attended me were extremely helpful and were technically very able. On the day of the surgery, my eyes were measured again to ensure accuracy of data and the information double checked by the surgeon who, prior to surgery spent a lot of time going over the procedures. The actual surgery was done quietly and efficiently with the surgeon advising me at all stages what was to be expected. It was completely painless with very little discomfort. The follow up consultations were informative and the 24 hour check reassuring. I even met the surgeon on the stairs and he remembered my Christian name and asked me how I was . I was happy to advise him that it had gone extremely well and that I was pleased with the result. After 48 hours, I could not detect any residual scratchiness or dryness. After 7 days, it was as if I had always had perfect eyesight. Obviously, with my prescription I am left with having to wear reading glasses but it is wonderful to be able to go out and about without seeing frames within your vision. If you are thinking of having Laser treatment I would certainly recommend Optical Express especially as my wife had the same operation last year with a rival company at twice the price and did not fare as well as me. Her eyes were still scratchy and watery after 31 days wears mine are perfectly fine after one week..
Rani Begum
I am 23 years old and have been shortsighted since the age of 10. I had my surgery at Shaftesbury Avenue Clinic on 15/12/2007 with surgeon Dr Giledi. The staff have been really helpful. Its now 4 days since surgery and my visions still hazy, told it will improve. I am looking forward to the next couple of week.
Penny Sweeney
A HUGE thank you to everyone at Optical Express who made my experience of Epi-LASEK as pleasant as possible. The staff were friendly, calming, reassuring and very professional. I had my surgery on Friday and today (Tuesday) at my 4 day check up where they removed my bandage contact lenses my vision is better than the legal standard for driving - absolutely amazing. I am happy for anyone to contact me if they want to hear my experience of Epi-LASEK - I promise to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - I know when I was looking into it I wanted to know as much as possible but it seems there is a lot more available about LASIK. I cannot recommend OE highly enough - if you are thinking of laser surgery this is the place to go. Email me if you have any questions - just click on my name above. Thank you OE for giving me back my vision - what a brilliant Christmas present!!!
Claire Shearer
My original prescription was fairly severe -7 in both eyes plus a slight astigmatism...basically blind as a bat without my glasses!! I had Lasek surgery in Glasgow on 17th Dec, operation performed by David Teenan. I was really nervous about the operation and had even went to the doctor a few days before to get some sedatives to calm me down!!! I found this very helpful for getting a good night's sleep before the op and the few hours before. The actual operation was a breeze and i had been worrying excessively about it. There was no discomfort at all and even the eye clamps were absolutely fine. The whole op seemed to only last a few minutes and I could see quite clearly immediately. After the op i was waiting for the anesthetic to wear off and the pain to kick in but this never happened. Now 4 days after the operation i can honestly say i have not had to take a single painkiller. This is apparently rare but i was one of the lucky ones. My optician declared that i had 20/20 vision the day after surgery which was absolutely amazing!!!! The only slight hitch i have had was that i woke up this morning to discover my right eye was a bit blurry. I called the optician and was immediately told to come and get checked out for peace of mind. I was told that i have slight haze on the front of my eye but this is part of the normal healing process and should clear with help of the drop provided. I am due to get my bandage lenses out on Saturday (a day behind schedule). At the moment I am over the moon that everything has gone so well, this operation has been life changing. If everything continues to heal up and improve then this is going to be the best Christmas ever!!! Thanks to John Fox and Jenni Scott at Cameron Toll and David Teenan in Glasgow....i love my new eyes :-) I'd be happy to answer any questions on email
Jackie Peel
I had my treatment the end of August in Maxi Manchester, I was very nervous but the staff were wonderful.. the actual treatment did not take long at all I was in the laser room for about 10 mins.. amazing I could see straight away.. a bit uncomfortable but no real pain. The aftercare really good from the 24 hour to each appointment after. My vision is better now than it was with my glasses. I had my Consultation at optical Express in Manchester, Cross Street. Staff and optometrist were fantastic. I wish I had it done years ago.
