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
Vincent
Hi …Reading through all the comments with interest , however everybody seems to be short-sighted. Has anyone with long sight had the procedure done? I have a consultation with Ultralase in Birmingham next month.....very scared.....think I may need valium !!!!!!! My prescription is right eye +3.25 -025 105........left eye+4.50 -050 70........don't know if they will be able to help me , just want rid of the reading glasses.......old age doesn't come alone!!!!!!!! By the way I am 42
Vanessa
Have had the consultation so far at the Tottenham Court Road clinic and was found to have thinner corneas and slightly larger pupils. However, only LASEK was suggested, not WAVE-front LASEK as I would expect having read up on this since. They have offered another appointment for a WAVE-front consultation at the Hammersmith clinic where they have the equipment. The surgeon looked at my file and thought that although my pupils are larger it's only 6.9 and I have no current night vision problems. For those of you who have had WAVE-front LASEK, what were the indications that made the surgeon decide on this rather than plain LASEK ??
Julie McMurrough – Ultralase
Hi.. I am the Customer Services Manager at Ultralase. In answer to Vincent's query: it looks as though your prescription is within our treatment parameters for long-sightedness. though we would assess your eyesight in detail at your consultation. You can check out testimonials from over 1,000 treated Ultralase patients on www.TheGiftOfSight.com - click on "search" and enter your prescription details to pull up examples of patients with prescriptions similar to your own. Answering Vanessa's query: new Ultra-WaveFront equipment is to be installed into our Tottenham Court Road clinic this week (it is already available at Hammersmith and at most other Ultralase clinics). Note that whilst many patients may benefit significant from Ultra-WaveFront treatment, for others the difference over standard LASIK or LASEK could be marginal. We would only recommend patients for WaveFront assessments if the benefit were likely to be worthwhile. WaveFront assessments are free of charge and can be booked by calling the Ultralase Contact Centre on freephone 0808 144 20 20.
Alf Read
Vanessa…. Re your recent posting. Could you fill me ( & other Lasik-eyes readers?) in on your full detailed prescription? I had a consultation at Ultralase Tottenham Ct Rd about a year and a half ago. They said I was borderline for Lasik because of about -6.5 prescription in both eyes and about 500-520 microns corneas. However at that time they said may be able to treat soon as they were installing Wavefront Lasik. Shows you how things change quickly in that there was no mention of Lasek or the newer Wavefront Lasek. I also had a consultation with Accuvision who said that could Lasik me because their newer (then?) laser removes less tissue per dioptre of correction. I have since become interested in Lasek and it and PRK seem to be having an increase in popularity (despite longer recovery). However it is difficult to find good sources of info on Lasek. Any suggestions on references would be appreciated. It seemed a year or so ago most clinics only used PRK/Lasek for lower prescriptions up to about -3 however I wonder if that view is now changing? I have read postings on Dr O'Brart - St Thomas's area of this site that suggest much higher prescriptions are good candidates for Lasek/PRK. Who do you know of currently performing Lasek with Wavefront? As I said I find good references hard to find. One I would suggest to other readers interested in Lasik, Lasek, PRK is the bulletin board of Chicago Laser Centres at http://www.lasikprk.com/VisionPlaceIII/bb/bbNOW.htm
Julie McMurrough-Ultralase
Dear Alf, I am the Customer Services Manager for Ultralase and please find below a reply to your query to which I hope you find useful. LASEK - With more experience of the procedure in our clinics now, and a review of current thinking worldwide, we are now seeing the potential of LASEK, particularly in conjunction with wavefront-guided treatment. Because of the faster recovery time and slightly more comfortable nature of LASIK over LASEK, we would always suggest that a patient is treated with LASIK where it was indicated, however. We are currently gathering evidence from our clinics on the outcomes of wavefront LASIK and LASEK treatments. In time, once independently audited, these figures will be made available in our clinics. Kind regards Julie McMurrough Ultralase - Customer Services Manager
Matthew King
I had LASEK back in May/June of this year for both my right and left eye. A number of months on and my right eye is ok. However, i think I may need corrective surgery to my left. Has anyone had LASEK and had to have corrective surgery? if so, were the risks higher than before. Also, did it solve the problem. It's starting to get me down by reading all this successful stories about people achieving 20/20 vision. I'm not in it for my appearance/looks but for my future career. It was the only way to get into the police force, which is currently on hold for now until i get my vision up to requirement standards.
J McMurrough – Customer Services Manager
Seema: Your vision is still very much in the normal settling down period after your LASEK treatment and we would expect further improvement. I have asked one of our clinicians to contact you to discuss this with you in more detail.
Rowena Lowe
About 4 years ago I had laser eye treatment with Ultralase and even after all this time I cannot thank Ultralase enough, for the difference it has made to my life. Before my treatment, I was constantly loosing my glasses which was a nightmare and as I couldn't bear the thought of putting anything in my eyes (like contact lenses!) the idea of laser eye treatment really appealed to me. I cannot even remember what it was like to be dependant on glasses, just not having to bother with anything is wonderful. The best time is when I am on holiday when I can jump in the pool and actually see the other people around me. I will definitely keep recommending it to all my friends and colleagues at work. It is the best thing I have ever done.
Andrew Bell
I had my eye treated at UltraLase over 11 years ago, by Mr.Tutton at the Clatterbridge clinic. All I can really report now is that my vision was improved by the treatment to a point that I feel I can see better now with nothing than I could before with my glasses. I haven't really noticed any changes in my vision since the treatment, indeed I continue to be able to read clearly without glasses when most of my contemporaries are are starting to need correction. ( I had a mono-vision treatment to help with the reading). I cannot give a complete list of all the advantages of having had the treatment, but just a few things, swimming, skiing, just going out in the rain, not losing glasses or fiddling with contacts. It is hard for me to remember all the advantages, because it has been so long now that I can't really remember being a "glasses wearer". I suppose the greatest encouragement I can give is to list the members of my family who followed my example: 1 Daughter, 2 Brothers, 2 Sisters-in-law, basically everyone who had need was treated and all continue to be satisfied more than 5 years after the last family treatment. I would rate the ULtraLase team at 5 stars based on the high level of care received, and 100% family satisfaction rate (which is a very rare event!)
Piers Evans
I had Lasek at Ultralase, Hammersmith, under the care of Vinod Gupta and am very pleased with the results so far. My prescription was :R) Sph -10.25, Cyl +3.25, Axis 100 and L) -Sph -11.25, Cyl +3.00, Axis 75 plus +2.25 in each eye for reading as at 28 September 2002. I forgot to ask what it was just before surgery! Vinod has corrected my left eye to -1.75 to reduce the possibility of needing reading specs. Very little pain, more a discomfort until the bandage contact lenses were removed yesterday. Left eye vision had not been brilliant until then due to a build up of material, but I passed the eye test and Brendan, the optometrist, expressed himself very pleased with the results, although there is still a bit of waste matter on the cornea which he told me will clear away in due course. I am able to get around freely on my own, but I am wary of driving in the bright sunshine! After 39 years of wearing glasses, I'm free! Surgically, I have found Ultralase most efficient and considerate. However, their administration needs to improve. They lost the details of my application for paying in instalments and had to send faxes etc. before they could operate! On the day after surgery, I went back for a check up and was kept waiting for over an hour after my appointment time (1.50 pm) and had to wait 30 minutes beyond my appointment time yesterday! I have to go back on Christmas Eve for a further check up at 9.45 am and wonder how long I will be kept waiting this time! Anyway, thank you, Ultralase for doing it and Merry Christmas and a spectacle free New Year to all!
