Optical Express

Had the initial consultation and was v. impressed by the professionalism and honesty of all the staff. Have opted for PRK mainly because I play a few contact sports, which meant that LASIK was ruled out. Have booked the op for the 8th June. Only down side is that from 1st June the cost of PRK is going up to match that of LASIK ... £1000 per eye.

Prescription was (left and right) -4.75 and -4.00 with a slight astigmatism in the right eye. Will post back post op results :)

I had LASIK surgery with Clive Mortimer and Ulrika (can't remember her last name)on January 28th 2002 at the Reading branch. I was incredibly nervous before the operation but the staff were fantastic and did everything they could to put me at ease.

The operation was over in under 30 minutes and by the next morning I could see perfectly and could read the bottom line of the eye charts. I did have a slightly bloodshot right eye which was caused by the eye clamp but this went after a few days.

I cannot recommend the eye clinic highly enough. The staff were very professional, helpful and incredibly thorough (I had three eye tests before surgery and all measurements are checked and double checked). The aftercare is fantastic as well.

To anyone reading this and is considering getting LASIK I would say go for it. You don't feel a thing and afterwards you just wonder why you didn't get it done earlier!

I had bi-lateral LASIK at Newcastle Clinic yesterday and 'wow' it's a miracle. The process is virtually painless - I thinkgoing for a polish at the dentist is far worse! I could tell that the flap was being cut but it wasn't painful at all. The laser lasted 38 secs and as soon as it was finished the red light looked normal instead of fuzzy at the beginning. I think I smiled for the second eye. I couldn't have been looked after better. My sight is slightly blurry, but I was -10.5 in both eyes. Been for post op check this morning and everythings fine. I feel like I've won the lottery nothing can compare to the way i felt this morning when I woke up.

Hi should have fed back ages ago, had my enhancement on 7-Dec-01 as planned, vision still not good in right eye, advised by Manchester clinic to use Viscotears and plenty of drops, which I did, however over Christmas it got progressivly worse. I phoned head office and they arranged an appointment for me at the London Clinic on 30 Dec-01. It turned out I was allergic to the preservative in the eye drops so using loads was making matters worse, a very bad reaction in the right eye. Left eye still great. Given different drops without preservative and gradually the eye got better, forgot to say had silicone plug put in tear duct to assist drops to stay in the eye for longer. Went back for check up in January and given all clear. Vision good in both eyes at long last. Was told I would need glasses for reading but so far manage to read most print without. Still need to use the drops and make sure they are without preservative, some days eyes are better than others but overall results now very good.
Denise if you read this, let me know how your getting on.

Went to Newcastle for op as the Glasgow clinic does not have the surgery facilities yet. Because of this they knocked £150 off my bill! The operation was COMPLETELY painless. I had -7.0 in both eyes and found that I could see pretty well straight away. The next day was even better. I was at driving standard first thing in the morning.

The surgeon was Rodney Eve and I can not praise him enough. He told me what he was doing at all times of the operation. It was strange to think that he was cutting a flap in my eye and I wasn't feeling a thing!

I would definitely recommend this clinic.

Have had my initial checkup all is well my persription is -3.75 both eyes. Found everyone to be extremly helpful and professional, glad to see that Roger Taylor (Queen Drummer) was not wearing specs on the TV last Saturday!That gave me a burst of confidence believe me as he was treated here. Looking forward to my treatment soon, will let you know how I get on :)

I had Bilateral PRK on Saturday (at Milton Keynes), and have to admit that they weren't lying when they said it would hurt! I had about 6 hours of really really stabbing pain in both eyes - neither the paracetemol or the sleeping tablets had any effect.

After that things calmed down alot and I was able to sleep on and off and by about 18 hours after I wasn't needing any pain meds. The vision improvement is something I didn't expect so soon. Straight after the op, before the pain kicked in, I was able to reasonably well - about legal driving requirement. I have another appointment on Wednesday to have the contact lenses removed so I'll let you know how things are then.

In terms of the patient care I can't give them enough praise. Abi and Beth (nurses) were v. friendly and were there throughout the procedure, talking me through things and were v. supportive. Mr Kumar (the surgeon) was excellent, very calming and explained everything that was happening. I'm thrilled with the results so far.

Well, I've been looking at this site now for quite a while as over the last few years I have been considering Laser surgery and now here I am 5 days after having LASEK and can see absolutely perfect!LASEK is quite similar to LASIK but has the same healing etc as PRK, the flap is made using alcohol which more or less burns the flap. However I experienced absolutely no pain throughout the operation (except the clamp which was quite tight on my right eye, however as it is over in seconds it was nothing really) and I also had no pain whatsoever since the operation on Wednesday 5th June, and I can honestly say that I haven't really had much discomfort, none of the gritty feelings that people have. I was to have contact lenses in until today (Monday 10th June) but one fell our on Friday night, luckily the flap had healed and I had no problems. I wanted to add my comments about LASEK as most people I have spoken to/read about have had LASIK and not much is said about LASEK, however if you are thinking about this DON'T THINK ANYMORE JUST DO IT, it is absolutely fantastic, my prescription was -3.50 (left eye) and -4.75 (right eye) so I needed glasses/contacts for everything and now I'm well on my way for 20/20 vision.
Anyway I can't say much more without repeating myself so good luck to anyone who's about to have LASEK.

I had my surgery on May 22nd. The staff were very friendly and put me at ease and there was no waiting around at all. However, the surgeon did go on a bit about how most clinics (including Maxivision) are becoming more and more money orientated and that he was totally fed up with it all. He said that a lot of surgeons were being pressurised into treating unsuitable candidates to boost the clinics cash-flow and that he was now working his notice. But I was not to worry coz he would contact me (and all of his patients) to let us know where he was going in case we had complications or needed enhancements after he had left.....just what I needed to hear 10 minutes before surgery!
Anyway, the procedure itself was pretty straight forward and not painful at all. I could see straight away (was -4.75 in both eyes) although my vision was milky as I'd been fitted with surgical contact lenses. The nurse examined my eyes before I left and I was astounded at how much I could see already.
I'd booked into a hotel round the corner so walked the 5 minutes to the hotel and took myself off to bed. I slept for 3 hours or so and woke up feeling quite sore. My eyes were burning so I took a couple of pain killers and applied more ointment. Both contact lenses had fallen out by this time. I was still experiencing discomfort the next morning - but not pain. However the whites of my eyes were very bruised and I looked like I'd been punched.
3 days later I was no better. My eyes were extremely dry and achey. I'd tried to go back to work but the air conditioning in the building drove me crazy so I had to go home. The only time I felt any relief was when I applied the antibiotic drops. The lubricant ointment they'd given me was no help at all.
I rang the clinic and was put through to a nurse who suggested I go to the chemist and buy some eye drops rather than ointment but to make sure it was drops that were suitable to use with contact lenses. I did this and bought drops called Hyprmellose (recommended by the pharmacist).
The relief was instant. As soon as the drops went in my eyes cooled down, vision cleared and the aching went.
When I went back to the clinic for my 7 day check I told them this and they gave me another two bottles (free of charge). But offered no explanation as to why they hadn't given me drops in the first place.
Anyway, 3 weeks on from the op I feel great. Vision is good, dryness has virtually gone. I still smile to myself every morning when I wake up and realise that I can see the time on the clock without squinting. I would recommend LASIK to anyone but would advise that you make sure you are using the best post-op products for you. If you're feeling discomfort it could be that you're reacting to the ointments/drops given to you by the clinic.

Follow up to yesterday's post.
Today I received a phone call from Maxivision's head office expressing their concern about my comments regarding surgeons being pressurised into treating unsuitable patients.
He said that he'd been deeply concerned by my statement and expressed that this was not Maxivision's policy and that they would much rather turn away a patient than treat them knowing there's a higher risk of complication.
I was pleased that a) they keep an eye on this site and others like it and take on board the comments made and b) that he had taken the time to call me.
Like I said in yesterday's post. I was delighted with the treatment and the service from all of the Maxivision staff (including the surgeon) but was just a tad miffed at the timing of the surgeons comments. 10 minutes before surgery - I had other things on my mind....!