Optical Express

I had standard Lasek on 22nd December 2006 at the Milton Keynes clinic. I was R -4.25 and L -4.5. The actual surgery itself was very quick and there was no pain, just a little uncomfortable with lots going on around me. The surgeon was excellent and kept me informed all the way through with what he was doing. Anyone that is worried about the surgery itself - don't be it really is less traumatic than the dentists! I was lucky and didn't have anyone ahead of me so I was in and out of the clinic within 40 minutes which included the final tests, the surgery, and post-op advice. As soon as I got up from the operating chair, I could see almost perfectly with a little blurring, but most of that felt because my eyes were watering. I felt no pain and only had very little discomfort. For the rest of the day, and the following day my eyes felt absolutely fine, and vision kept staying stable for longer and longer. By my 24hour post-op check-up I had 20/20 in my left eye and my right eye wasn't far off. Christmas eve (2 days after op) was the only day that I had a very painful left eye (burning feeling), and it actually hurt more to shut it than to keep it open. Taking plenty of pain killer eye drops and Nurofen helped me get through the day and by Christmas morning the pain had pretty much gone. Since then my right eye has felt very stable, and my left eye has fluctuated slightly but its vision has always been very good. Over the last few days my left eye has seemed to have settled down and is more often than not as good as my right. At my 2 week post-op check-up I had 6/5 in my left and 6/4 in my right, that's one line better than 20/20 for my left and two lines better (the bottom line!!) for my right. I feel that the left eye will catch up soon. In summary... I would recommend Lasek to anyone (especially as it has less long term complications than Lasik) and the pain really isn't that bad, and you do still get that WOW factor afterwards it justs takes a few days to settle down. I can't fault Optical Express in any way and the whole experience has been fantastic!

Good and friendly service in Belfast quick procedure and excellent results. I should have done it years ago. Thanks y'all. Bref

6.5 Month Update: After having Lasik Wavefront performed at Birmingham OE (June '06), I will hopefully be having enhancement surgery on my right eye due to it regressing to -1.0 and the left eye -0.50 which will not be treated. Pre op prescription was only -3.00 in both eyes and unfortunately I am one of the 2% it hasnt worked for! OE have been fantastic and have monitored eyesight thoroughly (at my local Manchester branch) and thankfully, i will not be returning to Birmingham for the enhancement surgery. A big thank you to Giles Turner for his continuted help. As you can imagine, i have been extremely worried since June '06, and have had to 'give in' and wear glasses for driving - which slightly defeats the object of having the laser treatment in the first place, but I have been reassured that i WILL have the eyesight i want in the next few months.

Had Wavefront 3 weeks ago & my eyesight is perfick. The surgery was quick & relatively pain free. They had trouble getting the metal ring in my eyes.......sounds grim but I think I was nervy after a 5 hour wait (they were running very late that day!) I found this part very uncomfortable but it is NOT painful. The 'lasering' part is totally pain free & takes about 10 seconds. My eyesight was perfect straight away & although they stung slightly that only lasted an hour or two for me. By the morning there was absolutely no discomfort & I sailed through the check performed at my local High Street store. The staff in the clinic were very professional & knowledgable - but so they should be - I would be disappointed if they weren't! Just one thing to note if you have the procedure in London.......I travelled in on the Tube & just before surgery they told me I could not travel home on the Tube because of the dust. Slight inconvenience as it meant I had to change my travel plans home ie:get a cab to Euston & buy another ticket to get on a Mainline train - small gripe but as it was in town you would think lots of patients travel up on the train & a warning in advance would've been handy! All in all, very happy. Highly recommended

I had Lasik surgery at Bluewater on 13/12/2006. My surgeon was Wayne Crewe-Brown, a truly excellent surgeon. I debated for a huge period of time before having the surgery, but decided it was right for me and went for it. Had the consultation at Chelmsford, that was all fine. Having previously spoken to my regular optician, I had decided that there was no benefit to me having Wavefront and decided to go for the standard treatment, which was accepted immediately without any hard sell from my laser counsellor. I also decided to have a microkeratome make the flap, rather than intralase, purely based on cost, and had no problems there either. The procedure itself is a little like a conveyer belt, but quick and fairly painless. Mr Crewe Brown came and introduced himself, then took me through for a quick eye check and to answer any questions (had about 2 minutes in the room, but didn't have any questions). Then had to wait for about 10 minutes with some other people waiting for surgery, i was VERY worried at this point! My name was called and I was asked to lay in the chair and relax. I could hear the laser nurses preparing and the surgeon was talking to me explaining what was going to happen. Some drops were put in my right eye first, and a shield put over my left eye (which I had to keep open underneath the shield, found that quite hard to do). The clip was then put in place, probably the most uncomfortable bit about the whole thing, but with barely any pain. The microkeratome is then put on your eye, which then creates a vacuum so that you are unable to move your eye while the flap is created. Everything goes completely black and you hear a noise like a dentist drill. The flap is done! Surgeon then moves the flap out of the way, starts the laser (which makes a loud clicking noise and smells like burning hair) and then puts the flap back. Laser only took about 10 seconds and you can't feel it at all. As soon as the flap was back in place I could see much better than before, but was still fairly blurred. When I was finished one of the laser nurses talked me through which drops to use and how often, then I could go. Due to traffic I got home 4 hours later, and the journey was horrendous, but I just kept my eyes closed and it wasn't too outrageous, just felt gritty. When I got home I went straight to bed and the next day my vision was near perfect. Its fluctuated a bit over the past few days, but now seems to have settled to what I judge to be 20/20 (certainly as good as when wearing my glasses before surgery). If you thinking about doing this but are worried, my only advice is - DO IT!

Clinic Nottingham. Surgery on 19/09/06 Well what can I say? I moaned for the first couple of weeks because I couldn't see properly. It was like blinking over some grit with soap BUT the eyedrops were a blessing. It's now been over 6 weeks since my operation. I was expecting the wow factor on the day of the op but just had to be patient but now all I can say is that its absolutley fantastic. You've got to have it done WOW!! I had Lasek Wavefront (but I was a bit girlie!) A big, big thank you to everyone.

I am delighted to have had the procedure. I had wanted to have the laser procedure for a number of years but was anxious about someone interfering with my eyes.However I was reassured by the optician and the high tech equipment. I opted for wavefront Lasik and have been really happy with the results - I have 20/15 vision - better than 20/20. The actual operation was quite painful but it was worth it as I could immediately see with great clarity. The service was excellent and the staff very helpful. I am recommending it to friends and colleagues. If the technology was in place. I would have had the treatment years ago.

Having thought about laser surgery for the last few years, but thinking that it wouldn't be affordable, I saw the Optical Express advert on-line and thought that i'd take advantage of the free consultation. I went to the Meadowhall branch where they were all absolutely fantastic. I underwent the tests with the very lovely looking Paco, he said that I was a very good candidate for the surgery, shocked me with the price & passed me on to a wonderful lady by the name of Judy Kearney. She explained everything so well, including the 'wavefront' option. The cost of the procedure was a lot more than I thought I could afford, but they offer an interest-free credit option which made things a little easier. Before I left the shop, I was so convinced that this was the right thing for me that I had paid my deposit & was booked in for 2 weeks later. I work as a teacher and can't really take time off work, this is where Meadowhall & the Leeds clinics work so well. I had a Saturday appointment at Leeds for the treatment & a 24 hour follow-up appointment at Meadowhall on the Sunday. All was well and I was at work on Monday morning! The staff at Leeds looked after me so well, explaining everything very clearly and reasuring me all the way. The procedure itself, is painless. After several hours of really heavy eyelids, where i just felt that they were never going to open again, they opened and it was like MAGIC - I was all better and I could see perfectly. On the Sunday I went to see my optometrist, Naina Wadhera, who is has been wonderful. she is keeping a close eye on me & is very happy with my sight (better than 20/20!!!) This is the best thing that I have ever done for myself, worth every single penny and at only 36, i'm going to be enjoying my great new eyesight for many, many years to come. I unresevedly recommend this to anyone who feels unsure about going ahead with it. Get yourselves a consultation appointment at Meadowhall, they are second to none! Much gratitude to all the staff at both Meadowhall & Leeds, I owe you so much. Deborah Lagdon

Had Wavefront Lasik on Saturday 4th Nov. The surgery was painless and the worst bit was the suction ring on the eye. More uncomfortable and a weird sensation than painful. About an hour after the surgery I could hardly open my eyes and they felt quite sore, 2 painklillers and an hours sleep and I was well enough to go for a meal in the hotel. Woke up next day with dry eyes but good vision. Read 2 lines better than 20/20 the next day and have had no problems. Eyes feel tired/strained for first week, but settling down now. All staff at Newcastle Branch were great, but felt slightly conned when expecting to pay £795 per eye for Wavefront and ended up paying more because of my prescription. But after surgery I'm very happy and glad I went for it.

Following on from my recent posting...... Wow, what can I say. Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I arrived for my appointment around a quarter of an hour early. The receptionist greeted me immediately and knew who I was without any introduction (impressive!) She looked after me straight away. I couldn't believe how many people were there waiting for the same thing as me! Abit of a production line going on I could have said however the service was very personable and one without fault. I took my OK Magazine expecting loads of waiting however there really was no time for reading! The wavefront scan was a bit frustrating, my left eye just wouldn't play ball however the surgeon, Mr Pauw (what a lovely man) was happy with the results and to my delight told me he would be performing the Lasik procedure. I had originally been recommended for Lasek and therefore was prepared for all kinds of trouble and discomfort so to hear I was up for Lasik was music to my ears! The op itself was a doddle. It lasted all of 10 mins max and the team who looked after me were fantastic. Abit of pressure is experienced when they actually cut the flap, and your vision goes very dull and dark but I was told this would happen and everything was explained to me at every stage, althought I do have to say, when they reclined me on the chair in the surgery,I thought I was going to fall off backwards!!! You guys who have had the surgery will know what I mean. The aftercare was also fab and everything was explained to me in great detail. What to do with the drops/dos and don't etc etc. I got home and went straight to bed as advised and as the anaesthetic wore off I really struggled to keep my eyes open. They were streaming and extremely sensitive (although not painful at all) so the best thing was to lie in a dark room with them shut. After the surgery you get three lots of drops to put in your eyes. Try putting them in in a dark room!!! Also you get some goggles to sleep in for one week - very sexy! I kept waking up through the night and each time I woke my eyes felt less and less sensitive. In the morning my one fear was that I wouldn't be able to open my eyes however they opened with no problem and I can only say I was amazed. I could actually read the alarm clock without squinting my eyes and climbing over my husband to get to it. No pain, no sensitivity, absolutely incredible. I went for my post op check at 9 o'clock that morning. The optom told me my sight was "phenominal", that I was at driving standard already and my vision would continue to improve for the next couple of weeks - wow, can it get any better?? If you are considering having laser eye surgery, all I can say is go for it. Optical Express have been fantastic from start to finish. The care and attention I have received from each member of staff I have dealt with has been incredible and although it is still early days I am absolutely delighted in every way. My sincerest thanks to everyone at Optical Express for a superb service.