Optical Express

I had my laser surgery done in Birmingham 3 months ago, even though I had all my consultations done at Milton Keynes. I was conditionally approved surgery in February of this year, but had to wait till April as my latest prescription was only 10 months old. I went on holiday in April and only came back in May. Unfortuneatly I got an eye infection on holiday which delayed my surgery until August! Needless to say, it was quite frustrating but Dasi Reyu of Milton Keynes was great and supported me all the way. I wanted to have it done before I went on holiday to America in September and we could only get an appointment in Birmingham. I had the wavefront technology done during surgery and I have never looked back. I was tip top a month later for my States holiday and looked on in pity as my friends struggled with contacts and glasses on our rugged tour. It is as if I had never had an eye problem and I am suprised how quickly one takes good eyesight for granted. It was literally a few moments of discomfort, but it was hardly a fair price to pay for better than 20/20 vision. So I would definitely recommend it to anyone tired of struggling with glasses and contacts.

A little expensive, but who can put a price on better than 20/20, when you have been wearing glasses for 18 years. Im still grining 4 weeks later, better than ever expected. on the day its a bit nerve wracking, but the staff and surgeon where very good and it was over before you know. have it done you will have forgot what it is like not to have to wear glasses all the time.

Excellent! Great service, Lovely people! & I can see again - Very Happy (Bournemouth)

Optical Express were fantastic from start to finish. From my research they were in the middle range for price but for something important as this i deemed it necessary not to be a cheapskate! They have a lot of branches that can look after you which makes it very convenient and i had lasik suregy using wavefront technology. Surgery was like going to the dentist and having a tooth removed - glimpses of pain and nail marks in the reclining seat! After you will have a lot of discomfort in your eyes (simialr to having a lot of sand in them) for about 4 hours. I physicially couldnt open my eyes once the anaestetic had worn off. After that i watched the boxing on the TV - without my glasses! The next day i had no pain and went to see them for a check up and was told i had better than 20/20 vision within 24 hours - Amazing! i cant recommend this enough as well as the company: Optical Express.

Well so far so good! After 18 years of wearing hard contact lenses, much soul searching, reading and research I have finally decided to take the plunge. Optical Express in Leeds is my obvious choice as they are my usual opticians and therefore have all my history. I went for my consultation on 1st November with Hannah who was lovely. Very informative and thorough and basically just fab. Sharmina my laser councellor was equally as lovely, answered all my questions, put my mind at rest and is there whenever I need her. Anyway, two hours later and after many eyeball numbing pupil dilating tests I was deemed fit and healthy and suitable for Lasek eye surgey. To be honest I was hoping for Lasik (less pain/recovery time?) however I was just happy that I was a suitable candidate. The Wavefront was explained to me and that is the procedure I have decided to go with. There was no hard sell or even gentle persuasion, it was entirely my decision even though at £1495 per eye (OUCH!!!) it is rather expensive. What the hell, what price can you put on your eyesight?! My surgery is booked for 8th December - I am very excited but obviously nervous (whether the nerves are due to actually having my eyes lasered or spending so much money in one go I am not so sure!) I am hoping to make it to my office christmas party on 14th - fingers crossed!!! My surgeon is Jacobus Pauw who, as luck would have it, used to work with a friend of mine at the Leeds Boots Laser Eye Clinic (small world and all that!) so I have it on very good authority that I am in the best hands. That said, bviously first hand experience is always the best therefore if any of you out there have had Mr Pauw as your surgeon your comments/experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! I will be back, watch this space.................

I had Lasik eye surgery with Wavefront. I was nervous at the time of surgery but the staff were great and talked me through the procedure.It was all over in minutes and I now have 20/20 vision.I would definatly recommend it. Thankyou Pete-Bournemouth

I had my surgery done on Nov 1st at Bristol. I'm really impressed with the are from start to finish. I had my consultation at the Cardiff clinic, where they were really understanding and nice. They gave me all the info I needed. I thought it over for a few days, and then booked it. In between booking it and the actual surgery i got scared and rang up a few times double checking things, and each time they were really patient and understanding. I think i was lucky with my experience. I had no pain whatsoever. it was a weird sensation when they clamp your eye open, but i wouldn't class it as uncomfortable or painful. I now have 20:20 vision in one eye, and above driving standard in the other, and thats only a week after treatment. I'm really really glad I went for it. i'm a very nervous type of person, and if I can do it anyone can!! i've just had my week appointment, where they're really pleased with my progress. My eyes are slightly dry but I'm using the drops as prescribed. Whenever i want to ring, I feel comfortable to do so because they're all very patient. If you're thinking about it, I'd at least go for a consultation. Obviously there is variation between clinics, but I can't really fault the cardiff branch. Good luck!

I have worn glasses for 20 years, so I decided to have surgery, abit nervous about the procedure, but it only lasted 10-15 mins, staff at reading very good,excellent consultation and follow up visit at Bournemouth. All worth it, I would definatly reccomend. Thanks Paul-Bournemouth

Southampton, LASIK/Wavefront, 7 Nov. Customer Service - 4. They try hard, I am sure, and they are friendly enough, but their admin is poor. Surgeon - 5. I used to wear glasses, now I can function without them. Simple. Technology - 5. It worked perfectly. If they could find a way of getting the ring around the eye without it feeling like a donkey is trying to kick a cannonball into it, it would be great! Value for Money - 4. Let down by the overall admin. It kind of kills the experience of a day which should flow, and it's a lot of cash, whichever way you look at it. OK, following on from the post below, I had the surgery yesterday (7 Nov). As we know, Optical Express and timekeeping are not the best bedfellows, but it would be nice for them to keep people updated. They do say that you should expect to wait around three hours, but they should keep you updated as to the stage you are at in the whole process, but to be honest it's not that bad once you compare that to a lifetime of wearing glasses. The staff were really nice, it just didn't come across as being too admin-professional! The redid all the tests, which gives you a warm feeling. As for the surgery, it was brilliant. I had a lady surgeon who was very professional, as were her staff. Everything was explained, a minor panic when they said my eyes may be "too flat" and that I might have to reconsider alternative surgery, but it all went well in the end. I was only in the chair for around 30 minutes. When I sat up, I could see the signs on the walls straight away! I got the "wow" moment... Post op I came out, and lied to everyone else. The "little bit of pressure" at the start was a killer, so much so that I pushed up as the surgeon pushed down to get it sorted quicker (to get the ring over the eye). I told everyone it was painless....didn't seem fair to panic people who were already nervous! Apart from that, the actual surgery is freaky - the microkeratome is quite noisy, the laser is quite noisy, and the revelation at the end is incredible. The smell is insignificant, for all those who are imagining loads of smoke and burning skin! After about an hour, I started to feel uncomfortable as the anaesthetic wore off. NOT painful, just similar to having looked into a bright light for too long! I was very light sensitive, but a good pair of shades got me home in the car (no, I wasn't driving!), and drawn curtains and sleep was what was needed. The eye protectors are VERY sexy, and scared the wife stupid this morming when she thought she had woken up next to "The Fly". However, my eyesight was such that I was able to function as normal around the house, and got myself to Southampton from Portsmouth on the train for the follow up. The follow up was another example of Optical Express and timekeeping. An hour later than the alleged time of the appointment, but the lady who saw me was great, really reassuring and enthusiastic. When she apologised for being late (which was an improvmement for Optical Express!), someone else pointed out that there had been delays as far back as anyone could remember with Optical Express - possibly when Moses got LASEK before parting the oceans. I think that if you use Optical Express, you have to accept that their timekeeping is bad. BUT - weigh it against their surgeons and their results. I am now 20+/20+, and have just driven home. There is no pain for me, but my eyes are not yet perfect at all distances (I don't know what I expected after 24 hours!). The drops are good for clearing vision, and overall I am very chuffed with the results. Back next week, but it is getting better all the time. I think that if Optical Express could tighten up on the admin, more people would be happier. However, if you accept that they are a conveyor belt who produce good results, and that you are not paying for BUPA private rooms, then I suppose it's a fair deal. The literature could be updated (you sign forms that are a couple of years old), and they could do with getting people's opinions on the whole process and trying to improve. But, as this is likely to be a "one-off" shot for most people any improvements would be hard to quantify! I MET THE LADY WHO ONLY PAID £395 FOR ONE EYE - SO SHE DOES EXIST! I would also like to thank the incompetent staff at Natwest in Gosport who managed to take my cash deposit, record it as a cheque, and then refuse to clear it for three days, messing me and Optical Express around. It almost cost me the surgery, and now that I am happy that the payment has been made, I will be popping in to see them (properly!) to find out exactly which piece of the training about deposits the fool on the front desk managed to miss! Overall, I know that some people have bad experiences, and there may be valid medical or post-op reasons that they do not get perfect results. All you can do is weigh up what you know, or what you can find out, against the cost and the risks. It's a big step, but it worked for me (and as far as I can see, all the others who were done on the same day). Some of the scare-mongering is not very professional, and I don't doubt that people don't like the way that Optical Express work, but they are a business, they want your money, and they provide a service to the best of their ability. If you want better, then you are going to have to pay more, and I think that many of us use Optical Express because they are affordable, local and convenient. I was never "hard-sold" anything, I explained that I would not sign "on the day", and I never had a problem with the staff - they went out of their way to help me when NatWest mucked up the payments, and they have always been nice enough in the store.

I did a lot of research before finally choosing Optical Express and I'm delighted I did. I had visted Optimax in Glasgow but just wasn't confident about their technology or results. When I visited Optical Express I was impressed with their customer service and clear information they gave, elsewhere I left feeling confused with all the jargon they used. I has LASIK with intralase and wavefront with Mr Wayne Crewe-Brown, and I'm over the moon with the results. It was so easy, I arrived at the clinic at 9am and got picked up at 10.30, I slept for a few hours (which is the best thing to do)and had clear vision that afternoon! Mr Crewe-Brown was excellent, he was talking to me throughout the surgery, (which was only 5 mins)so that I knew exactly what was going on which put me right at ease. I went in for my post-op and I could read the bottom line on the eye chart, which is better than 20/20! something I couldn't do with my glasses. Driving at night is also much better, I feel far more cofident. It really is the best thing i've done, i'm recommending it to all my family and friends, i'm annoyed with myself for putting it off.