St Thomas’ Hospital

After about 5 years of indecision (and afraid of the pain of PRK and potential complications of LASIK), in 2003 I finally decided to go for the new LASEK method which seemed a good compromise between the two others. My eyes were short sighted, -3.75 and -4.00 with some astigmatism.

I was treated by David O'Brart last August, and to save time had both eyes treated the same day. In my left eye I never felt any discomfort whatsoever, but my right didn't seem to respond to the anaesthetic and I felt every bit of the operation, and agony for around 9 hours afterwards. This quickly faded to discomfort over the weekend and was no problem by 3 days post-op. I was also very light sensitive the first week – the first two days I hid indoors with all the curtains shut and the light off!

My eyesight was immediately better than it had been before, though a little blurry for the first 4 or 5 days. By a week or so I was OK driving. My right eye quickly had no short sightedness at all, my left lagged a little behind in the healing though on the first couple of check-ups. Using both eyes together, I was able to function perfectly well around 2 weeks post-op.

At my 6 month check-up, my prescription was -0.125 in my left, +0.375 in my right. Using both eyes together, I can read one line BETTER than 20/20 vision on the eye charts, so I am very pleased.

After years of if’ing and butting whether to have laser eye surgery, I decided to research the various laser treatments but more importantly, find a surgeon that I could trust. I‘ve heard a few horror stories in the papers and wanted to ensure I wouldn’t be one of them.

I wear soft contact lenses and have an annoying problem in my right eye with the lens moving out of place (revolving). This is due to my large astigmatism (eye shaped like a rugby ball, i.e. not round). The Toric lenses I wear, although designed and weighted do however move out of place a little, subsequently affecting my vision. Hopefully refractive eye surgery would fix my problem and eliminate the need for aided vision.

Initial consultation with Mr O’Brart outlined the risks and advantages and he did say that due to my large astigmatism I might need additional surgery.

I liked the idea of LASEK due to there being no flap involved unlike (LASIC) and a better recovery period and less risk of hazing than (PRK). I decided to proceed with LASEK on my right eye on the 10/10/2003.

My prescription was –2.75 diopter sphere with a –2.25 diopter cylinder at 180 degrees, corrected to 6/5.

Surgery went ok on the day, which was a Friday. Zonked out over the weekend and on pain killers. The only problem I did have was on the Sunday when my eye was sort of developing an intolerance to the contact lens due to wearing it constantly for 3 days, I think my eye couldn’t produce enough tears to keep it wet. Returned to Mr O’Brart on the Monday to have the contact lens bandage removed, what a relief to have it taken out! I then returned again on the following Friday for another check-up and was told it was healing nicely. Stopped the antibiotic drops and carried on with the suspension drops for a month. During the first month it should be noted that the surface skin healing did give fluctuating vision from one week to the next.

Another check-up 5 weeks post op my prescription is 6/6 unaided and corrects to 6/6 with a +0.5 diopter sphere with a –0.5 diopter cylinder at 50 degrees with nice clear cornea. The slight over correction takes a bit of effort focusing, but hopefully will stabilise closer to 0.0 as time goes on.

Overall I am very happy with the results, I can now read my projection clock on the ceiling even if it is only with one eye! I am also glad I had one eye done at a time, as Mr O’Brart said there are very rare complications that can happen which is why he prefers doing one eye at a time. It also enables you to get on with your normal day to day life pretty easily, alternatively I would have needed more time off work if I’d had both done at once. The down side of course is having to go through it again, although that’s a small price to pay when you consider it’s your eyes we are talking about here.

I am having my other eye done in January and would strongly recommend Mr O’Brart to anybody considering Refractive Eye Surgery.

Watch out for future posts.

I had my first month’s checkup with Mr O’Brart on Thursday 11th September 2003. The results were better than I had anticipated, in that I was just slightly under in one eye and just slightly over in the other. My vision is still stabilising and I am confident, as is he, that things ought to improve in 2 months’ time. Driving has not been a problem. Some slight dryness in the eyes, partcularly the left, has been a slight annoyance when waking up, and some sleep residue in the eye once caused a painful moment when blinking, but otherwise there has been no cause at all for complaint. I am very pleased indeed with my results.

After years and years of contemplating whether or not to have laser eye surgery, I decided to research the various laser treatments but more importantly, find a surgeon whom I could trust implicitly.

David’s profile attracted me the most as he seemed to constantly research this issue and provided superb aftercare to patients that he had treated.

He was also very frank about the suitability of the treatment for a me as opposed to many clinics out there who are keen to make a quick buck without warning clients about the potential risks.

It has been 3 years since I had surgery and I thoroughly enjoy not having to wear glasses and contact lenses anymore. Being able to see the world clearly after years and years of not being able to see it at all without constant aid is a life-changing experience and I would recommend David unreservedly and wholeheartedly.

I had bilateral LASEK surgery, performed by Mr David O’Brart, on Friday 25th July 2003. I learned about this practice and LASEK by word-of-mouth, and chose this method as I am a diver and it is most suited to me because I have wide pupils. I am now on my fourth day post-op and am recovering steadily. I can already see well enough to type and read my comments on the screen of my computer. I can tolerate this and the television in short periods and read for short times too. My vision at this time is slightly blurry but I have little soreness in either eye, save for a sensitivity to bright light. The first 48 hours after the operation were spent resting in a darkened room as my eyes were sore, but not unbearably so. Despite being prescribed anaesthetic eye drops, I did not feel the need to use them. There was no pain at all during the operation. I commend Mr O’Brart on his professionalism and reassurance during every stage so far. Seeing the gradual improvement to my vision that each day brings is worth it thus far!