The first Ultralase clinic was opened in January 1991 at the Clatterbridge Hospital near Chester. At the time, all treatments performed were Photorefractive Keratotomy, or PRK, until the Lasik procedure was introduced in 1995.
With the introduction of Lasik, and the clear advantages it demonstrated for certain patients, Ultralase went through a period of dramatic growth through 2002.
2003 Ultralase introduced the revolutionary UltraPlus treatment with Wavefront technology, giving patients visual outcomes far surpassing those of standard laser treatments. Ultralase became the first provider to have all treatment outcomes verified by independent audit.
In March 2009, the commitment to clinical excellence led Ultralase to become the first UK provider to have all Great Britain surgeons certified in Laser Refractive Surgery by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).
Ultralase Prices
Ultralase comes in second place in our list of the best laser eye surgery clinics in the UK for price, just after Optical Express. That’s because this clinic offers the full shebang: transparent prices, 0% finance options, free consultations, and competitive prices.
The cost of eye surgery at Ultralase ranges between £1,1695 and £2,995 (per eye), depending on the treatment type that you agree upon in discussion with a surgeon. These prices are in line with the average cost of eye surgery, but not quite as low as Optical Express.
Treatments Offered
You can count on Ultralase for the main laser eye and lens replacement surgery procedures. These include: LASIK and LASEK with Wavefront options, as well as refractive lens exchange (RLE), implantable contact lenses, and cataract surgery.
Is Ultralase Right for You?
With nearly 3,000 overall positive reviews from independent customers in the UK, Ultralase is one of the best-rated laser eye surgery clinics by patients. People value this clinic for its:
- Friendly prices – Fixed and reasonable prices help you know what to expect.
- Nationwide clinics – Ultralase has 20 clinics in the UK, including in London, Reading and St Albans.
- Decent aftercare – Ultralase provides free aftercare – one check-up and drops for the first three months.
Despite glowing reviews, however, it’s worth reading the fine print if you do choose Ultralase. In 2015, BBC’s Watchdog exposed the problems countless laser eye surgery patients have experienced accessing their lifelong aftercare.
Most user reviews on Lasik Eyes show happy experiences, but then again most people never need to take advantage of their lifetime guarantee. If you would like to find out whether Ultralase is the top-rated laser eye surgery clinic near you, we’re here to help.
Still, Ultralase features in several of Lasik Eyes’ lists of top-rated eye surgery:
Find Your Perfect Match
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 our readers every day get closer to going glasses free:
- Find the top clinic in seconds: Answer three questions to be matched to the leading eye clinic in your area
- Check you’re eligible in minutes: Receive a quick call to check you can get surgery (we will never 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 and personalised quote (with no obligation)
☛ Click here to find the top-rated clinic near you, and get a tailored quote.
Ultralase Reviews
Jay Dermott
Hello Paula I saw your posting on LASIK-eyes.co.uk and I thought I'd introduce myself. I am Jay Dermott, Professional Services Manager for Ultralase, and I'd welcome any other technical queries on refractive surgery that you may have. Your prescription is long sighted, with an amount of astigmatism of each eye, but as such it does fall within our treatment parameters. Were you ultimately to choose to have a consultation at one of our clinics, we would probably be able to put you in touch with one of our treated patients who had a similar prescription to yourself. Both of the phenomena you mention, time to settle and the haloes/starbursts effect, are manifestations of the healing process. If we are doing something to the eye, we are unavoidably going to stir up the healing process. For long-sighted patients, the laser works on more tissue and consequently there is more of a healing response. We work with this effect in long sighted people in that surgery makes the eye initially short sighted, and that improves with time to give the final result. This has the nett effect on the patient in that although near vision is good at first at the expense of distance vision, the patient "trades" that near vision to give better distance vision as the initial short sightedness subsides. This is the reason for the "time to settle" effect being longer. Haloes and starburst effects around lights also happen as a result of the healing process, due to the hazy nature of the healing cornea and its optical effects. It is overwhelmingly temporary in nature, only being noted for up to six weeks in the vast majority of patients. In patients with large pupils for instance, where there might be a risk of the problem persisting, Ultralase can now offer wavefront-guided laser treatment. This is designed to customise the treatment profile to lessen the risk of persistent haloes. At this time, however, although wavefront is being offered to our short sighted patients, we are awaiting the release (Autumn 2003) of the software to allow us to offer it to more people. I hope that this has gone some way to answering your questions. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please don't hesitate to ask. Jay Dermott Professional Services Manager Ultralase jay.dermott@ultralase.com
anne
Has anyone had Lasek treatment at either Guildford or Hammersmith
Nickywhite
My script is approx -8 in both eyes (no recent test) I'm hoping for LASIK I really want to use this company - but with 3 young kids, my own business and a husband who works away it seems a nightmare trying to organise things. I live about 1 hour away from the nearest treatment centre.(Leeds) My problem being that i've got absolutly no map-reading or geographical skills (and for all you men out there - yes, i know, when you shout at the women drivers who are in the wrong lane/ too slow etc ..... it's probably me !!!!) Anyway, this would mean, my hubby taking me to the consultation, then booking time off work (and losing a weeks wage, which could be put toward the eye surgery costs !) to take me to the treatments and first week check-ups. During the driving times - we've got to organise, babysitting etc for the kids etc ..... it's complicated !!! I understand that you have to go for a consultation, then go for treatment day, then you have to return the next day for a check-up, then again fairly regularly for quite a while. - My problem is the logistics of organising my life around all this. I know that my sight is all important so i dont want to make sure that everything is organised properly (work, kids, hubby's time off work etc) I rang Ultralase and asked about check-ups with a more local company - (as advertised on their webpage). the fella on the switchboard did'nt know what i was talking about !! - so....... i went back to the webpage and found the info where it said you could have check-ups locally, there was a telephone number in that section - great - so i called, and who should answer the phone - but the same switchboard bloke who again did'nt know what i was talking about !!! - Round in circles or what !!!???!? Perhaps i'll look for a more local company............ with staff who know what the company provide !
Nickywhite
Thought i'd givr you all an update - Ultralase e-mailed me (see end of this for pate of e-mail) I replied to them with a couple of questions and am awaiting their reply: It's nice to see that the companies are watching this site - thanks Julie !! Hello Nicky > > I feel I had to respond to you after seeing your posting on the Lasik-Eyes site. I'm sorry that you felt you were given mis-information at the time of your telephone call, but all I can say is that you spoke to someone who is very new and he was following instructions. As a rule all consultations and aftercare should be carried out at an Ultralase clinic, as it is in the best interests of our patients that they do so, but in some circumstances we can try and be a little flexible. > > We work with a network of Opticians, who carryout the aftercare on their patients when they have had treatment with us, and occasionally we will ask one of them to carryout the aftercare for a patient who lives locally and who may find travelling difficult, as in your case. I stress this is not the norm, and that is probably why whoever answered the phone was not aware of this. > > We could happily arrange this for you, though you would have to attend the Leeds clinic for your consultation, treatment and first aftercare check. If you wish us to arrange this for you please call on our freephone number and ask for either Shirley or Vicky and I will brief them to what you require. > > We are also easily situated in the City Centre, for car or rail travel. > > Thank you for your interest in Ultralase and I hope we are able to accommodate you. >
Jackie
reply re steve posting 22/9/03. Steve i would advise you to consider London Vision Clinic-initial screening is free and you are seen by prof reinstein who will answer all your queries Ialso believe they may remove less cornea than others. keep me posted
kb
To Jackie, whoever you are, you are not doing London Vision Clinic any good. London Vision Clinic was/is ? on my short list of clinics, but as you seem to haunt a few clinics sites and try to divert patients to London Vision Clinic, I get a bit suspicious.
Jackie
kb-there are 3 clinics i have looked into-lvc/accuvision/ultralase-i have had a consultation with ultralase-saw no surgeon, found this a bit odd as if someone is to cut my eye i would like to have some rapport at least. Isuffer from allergic conjuntivitis-Ultralase seemed to dismiss this a merely a bloodshot eye, whereas when i have contacted lvc they said my eyes must be clear before surgery and they would help with this. Ihave also had literature from accuvision and find the feed back on this site good. I do not haunt clinics i am just trying to make the best decision in a maze of information. Ihave also seen the Which article on laser eye surgery and that was quite informative. I can only say it seems to pay to do your homework as things can go wrong-hence this website. However there also a lot of happy people who have been dealt with by various surgeons/clinics throuhout the country. You just need to research as many as poss before making a decision.
Patrick Capaldi
Just to clarify to those who might be interested (See previous posting). When you submit yourself for surgery, you sign a disclaimer which clearly advises you that infection is possible. Our problem is not with the fact that my wife's eyes were seriously infected but with how they were allowed to degenerate and what happened after we asked for help from Ultralase. We only went to them because we beleived the after care would be 1st class should there be a problem. All I can say is, thank God for the NHS! We are happy to receive your emails but hope that this will allow readers to understand the specific nature of our concerns.
Richard Johnston
I have been considering treatment for astigmatism for some time now but my vision is really not that bad. I only wear glasses for closed computer work but not for day to day use. Is it really worth the cost/time out of work and all the trips back to the surgery???
Don Banham
Treated – Manchester Treated by Asiya Abedin Treatment Date - 3/10/03 Left Eye - -2.75 (-0.5) 110 Right Eyes Service was first class and the treatment amazing. It's strange after 23 years of wearing glasses to wake up in the morning and be able to see clearly!
