Forum hot topics

My Eyesight had been gradually getting worse since I was 10 years old. I\'m now 24 and my sight has just stopped (for 2 years) at R -6.75 and L -6.50. I went to Focus Clinic in London for a Consultation and was sorely disappointed when they told me that my Cornea was too thin for them to consider operating on me. After looking forward to it so much, I walked out of there in bits. I\'m seriously apprehensive about looking at getting Laser Eye Surgery now as even if I am advised that they can operate on me at another clinic, they may just be interested in a quick buck and not on my future health. I just need anyone\'s honest opinion really. I can handle dry eyes and a longer recovery time but I definitely do not want to have to resort to wearing glasses / contact lenses again after forking out for this, if I have it done. Thank you in advance for anyone\'s help! ;)

Evening all Apologies if this is a silly question but I have been scouring the net for hours and can\'t find the answers I want! I have been for a consultation at OE today, I have a relatively low prescription but do have an astigmatism. I have been found to be suitable for all 4 of the LASIK treatments I believe OE offer but the prices obviously vary, I don\'t want to scrimp as obviously my eye sight is important but equally cannot afford the prices I have been given. Firstly there is a APS600 difference between mechanical or intralase. I understand that this relates to the cutting of the flap in the cornea, and the basic gist I have got is that mechanical carries slightly higher risks? Apart from the procedure itself is this the only difference, or is there also a difference in the improvement to my sight? Secondly there is a APS800 difference between wavefront or standard. From what I have read the main benefits of wavefront seem to relate to night time vision. I do not currently suffer with glare/halos etc so does this mean I do not need wavefront? Or is there a risk that if I just have standard I could develop these issues? I am likely to go with OE as unfortunately they are considerably cheaper than Ultralase (based on their Ultralases website prices), but I do detest sales people and did find their desperate attempts at closing the sale very irritating (and quite amusing given I worked in sales myself and know most of the tricks they tried to use). I do not feel that if I ask them the questions above I will get honest answers - merely the ones they think I want to hear and will get them the sale! Thank you in advance for your advice [Edited on 29-8-2011 by Lisa_R]

Mar 2009 - Right eye treated with Lasik and is currently about +1 with no astigmatism. Nov 2009 - Left eye treated with Lasik and corrected to +0.75 with 0.5 astigmatism. May 2011 - Left eye \'enhanced\' with Lasek and corrected to +0.5 with 0.75 astigmatism. Oct 2011 - Left eye \'enhanced with Lasik and corrected to 0 with 1.5 astigmatism. I\'m due for another \'enhancement\' with Lasik on my left eye next Monday (Jan 23rd 2012). Once they\'ve corrected my left eye successfully (4 attempts by next week) they then still have my right eye to correct. Have I just been very unlucky or have any of you had 3 or more enhancements?

Well, I had one eye treated with Lasik back in June 2011 - see the one eye lasik diary. The results were SOOO great (from -6.25 and astigmatism to perfect vision (with a bit of astigmatism)) and no issues (some dry eye if I watch a lot of TV.. but I got that before!). So I decided to go back to Ultralase for the other eye. The reason I hadn\'t done both at once was that I had originally been told they could do LASIK on both eyes, but then last minute found out the right eye couldn\'t have this treatment (a shape of the eye issue). I wasn\'t prepared for LASEK.. but by December I felt ready. I planned 2 weeks off over Christmas and New Year and booked for surgery on the 23rd. THe booking process was a nigtmare from Belgium by email. Truly awful administrative process, but it was finally done. THe day of the surgery itself we had three phone calls. One to say that I hadn\'t paid yet (well, yes.. but we were still hoping final scans would show an improvement in the shape of my eye and that I could have lasik), one to say that the surgeon wanted me to know it would probably be lasek (well, yes... I know... he said that in June, but hasn\'t scanned the eye since, so I\'m waiting for another scan) and then the third to say that the laser in St Albans was down for the day and could I get to Northampton!!! This last call shook me up a bit... we were on the verge of leaving to drive to St Albans (very early for pre-surgery scans). They sent a taxi over, which arrived 1 hr later and drove us up through lashing rain and a very full M1 to the clinic in Northampton (nearly 2 hrs ride!). We arrived at the same time as about 4 other patients and were told we would be there 3 hrs!!!! It was now 5pm.. my surgery had been planned for 4 pm, and now we discovered we wouldn\'t be home before 9pm. We didn\'t have anything to eat with us. The receptionist (very sweet girl) was about to leave for her christmas eve (they\'d called her down from nottingham and shipped our surgeon and nurse team up from St Albans to use the laser in Northampton). She brought in cold pizza for everyone that had been ordered for the staff. I wasn\'t hungry (bit nervous still), and mum can\'t eat cheese... but never mind! Turned out My Gupta didn\'t want to do last minute scans - he had decided Lasek was best for my eye shape. OK,.. fair enough.. lets go! (this 2 hrs after arrival). I was the last patient of the day, but still pleased they were going to do it. It was 20:15 when I got out. LASEK as a procedure was less painful than LASIK but I was a bit nervous of the pain that would arrive after the anaesthetic wore off..... I needn\'t have worried. I took a paracetamol as we waited for the cab home, and then sat calmly with my eyes closed on the much faster ride home! Took another before taping my mask on to sleep. When I woke up at 2am to go to the toilet I put more drops in and that was the most painful moment of the whole thing. The first ones really burned. Like I had put lens cleaner in my eye! But after 20mins it was fine again, and I went back to sleep. The 6am drops didn\'t hurt much at all, and I was fine the next day on just one paracetamol.