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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.
Our Testimonials
It is now is now 2 months since I have had my basic lasik treatment. I am so pleased with the results.The second week I did suffer a bit in my left eye with some dryness, but three weeks after surgery everything was back to normal. I can read the very last line on the chart! it is fantastic to be lenses free. I find it hard to remember what it was like to be so shortsighted. good luck
I had LASEK surgery in September 2006 at Bluewater with Mr Wayne Crewe-Brown and just wanted to say it was the best thing I ever did.
I only had a mild prescription but had hated wearing glasses for the past ten years, so after thorough research, decided to go for it. The surgery itself was quick and painless, but the following week was extremely painful and I started to wonder why I had it done. But it was definately all worth it as my vision is perfect and I can now get married next month free of glasses! Can't wait!
Having looked over this website (which I found very helpful!:) I decided to try consultations at two clinics: Optical Express in Reading and Accuvision in Fulham. I was hoping to prefer Accuvision to be honest because it was half the price, but decided on Optical Express for the following reasons:
1) Although the Accuvision optometrist was very explanatory and informative, he had a definite salesman vibe to him which I did not like.
2) The equipment, setup and to some degree his methods seemed more amateur compared to Optical Express.
3) I was expecting Accuvision to quote me £1100 (pounds) for both eyes and Optical Express £2200 (including Wavefront) but Accuvision quoted me £1500 whereas Optical Express was actually cheaper than I expected at £1990 (£695 per eye plus £300 for wavefront). Accuvision told me the quote was based on pupil size, cornea thickness, prescription, etc. but although I do have very large pupils, it wasn’t made crystal clear why I was being charged more.
I chose to have a second eye test at Optical Express as I was given an unusual prescription, and the second test seemed to be more accurate. They said that it could have been because of me not having worn my lenses for longer for the second check, and because I’m fairly young and I wear continuous-wear lenses which I rarely take out. I accepted their explanation and decided to go ahead with the surgery.
All checks were done by opthamologists/optometrists, and although the surgeon checked the paper work the physical checks on my eyes done by her and my final chat with her was very brief, but I guess their time is precious and everyone else is supposed to be well trained anyway.
The surgery was just strange rather than overly uncomfortable or unnerving, and the twenty minutes was over in no time. The discomfort hit after the local anaesthetic wore off (ask for a top up before you leave!) which was about half an hour, and my eyes ran and felt uncomfortable every time I opened. My slight cold didn’t help either. However the following morning I could see brilliantly and had only slight discomfort occasionally in one eye for another two days. The biggest continuing challenge has been getting out of the habit of rubbing them!
It’s now been over a month and I have 20:16 vision. The starburst effect around lights at night still hasn’t gone totally yet probably because of my large pupils but it is actually better than before the surgery (I just didn’t notice it before) so I can’t complain!
My thanks go to the people at Optical Express Reading.
Clinic – Harley Street
Surgeon – Michael Jefferys
Well, 3 months on from surgery (wavefront lasik, pre op presciption -2.25 in both eyes)…. and I've been discharged!! Yeah!! No problems, no dryness and better than 20/20 vision in both eyes! My magic eyes!!! and I'm glad to see that others are following my advice of looking at the healthcare commission's website and doing a bit of research before picking a clinic! Well done Erin, I'm glad it went well :-)
I had LASEK surgery on 6th April 2007. I couldn't believe how quick it was over. I was at the clinic at Nottingham for just over 2 hours altogether (my appointment was at 10.30) I lay down for my surgery at 12.25 and was walking back to the car at 12.40. The surgery wasn't painful at all but very slightly uncomfortable. When I got home I went to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up I could see perfectly. I thought the pain would start the following day. When I woke up on the Saturday I was scared to open my eyes,when I eventually did I could still see perfectly. I had prepared myself for not being able to see for 3-4 days. I went for my check up the day after my surgery and was assured that the pain would come later that day. It did. On Easter Sunday and Monday it was ever so uncomfortable to open my eyes, they were very light sensitive and gritty. I had the contact lenses removed on Easter Tuesday and oh what a relief. Straight after having the lenses removed I was planning on shopping but my eyesight was very blurry and of course I was trying to look at everything and this made me feel dizzy and sick so I went home for more sleep. The following days when I woke up I struggled to open my eyes it was initially very painful as though my eyelids were stuck to my eyes. As the day went on everything became more and more blurry, then the same process would start again the next day. I went back to work the following Monday and could only manage half days for the 1st 2 days. I stuck with it though and by the Thursday 1 decided to put the blink drops in every hour rather than every 2 hours. This helped. I went for my 2 week post op checkup on Friday 20th April and was told that my eyes were extremely dry and every morning when I woke up my eyelids were peeling the new cells from th front of my eyes and I was effectively starting from scratch every single day. I was given some viscotears eye gel to help this and since I started to use this a week ago my vision has become better and better each day. If only I have been given this from the start I would have healed much faster. Maybe I should have rang the clinic nd explained the situation but I could see that I was getting gradually better each day so just put it down to me being a slow healer. Anyway I am over the moon with how things have progressed just in the past week since I started using the viscotears. I have another appointment on 3rd May and I know I will be able to read much further on the chart. I am so gladI had the surgery and although the 1st 2 weeks weren't so good I am so relieved I am now alot better. I would recommend this to anyone!!!!