Laser eye surgery help please

I am thinking about having Laser eye surgery to try and make life without specs a reality again. Any help and experiences good or bad welcome, and which company should I go to please?

Also, does any eye surgery clinic give Veterans a discount. Should I consider having it done abroad eg Hungary as I am living solely on an RAF pension?

 

An ex workmate of mine got it done along with his wife. Both would have been mid 40s at the time. His procedure went well but found he had to wear glasses for reading when he didn’t before.
His wife’s procedure was not really successful. Failed first time around and had to get it re done. I really do not know how it went in the end.

 

Had it done about 15 years ago, best money I ever spent.

Not the nicest procedure, not painful at all but uncomfortable as they have to clamp your eye open. Whole process took less than an hour.

My eyes were really dry and scratchy for about a week afterwards but they gave me loads of drops which helped.

My vision has been perfect ever since but yes now have to wear reading glasses which is unavoidable as that's the muscles in your eye getting old as opposed to short/long sighted which is the actual shape of your eye.

My advice ... do it. You won't regret it.

 

My mate paid for his wife to have it done. Fortunately for her it was a great success, unfortunately for him, when she saw what he looked like, she left him for a bonnier model.

 

It’s a very quick procedure that can give amazing results. It’s something that is generally done from around 18 - mid life though, I’m not sure if it’s suitable for a pensioner due to general eye health. Have a look into lens replacement surgery instead which is the more common one for over 60s.

 

My Dad had it done around 12 years ago he would he been mid 50s then. He now wears glasses for reading but nothing else. Says he's never regretted having it done.

 

I had Lasik eye surgery on both eyes about 15 years ago. The procedure was fine but I've never experienced such pain as the post surgery period. The 'glare' with eyes open or shut was truly horrific and the night following the surgery was the most horrendous of my life. If I'd had a razor blade by the side of the bed I think I would have used it - just to stop the pain. Went back to the surgery the day after and was prescribed steroids - they were wonderful and sorted the pain pretty much straight away.

Three weeks later when I was told I would have to come off the steroids I wanted to punch the surgeon. However, he pointed out that I had already grown a pair of 38 DDs so I really needed to come off them - even allowing for the short term benefits of such a pair!

It turned out I was '1 in 1000' in terms of the adverse reaction: confirmed a few years later when one of my Daughters had the same Op and suffered the same reaction.

Surgery won't alter the fact that at some stage you are likely to require reading glasses and one of my eyes has continued to worsen down the years. I won't have the procedure again to correct this but on balance I'm glad I had it. Stopped the faff of contact lenses and glasses, and meant I could continue to impress the world with my sporting prowess.

 

@fatalbert That's the problem as Ian says, once you pass 40 the lens hardens so the muscles can't change it's shape to focus on near and far. If you fix the distance vision with anything (including laser) you will still need glasses for near work. I've always been short sighted and had the appropriate glasses but when I hit mid 40s, I found that sitting in front of the computer at work I started getting headaches. I now have to wear varifocals. I can still manage very close work (reading etc) by just taking my specs off but the varifocals are essential for driving for example. Have you thought about varifocal contact lenses? I've not tried them but I've heard good reports.

 

I've wondered about that option as well but can't see how it can work with any great accuracy. I've been wearing varifocal glasses for years and their success depends entirely on you positioning your head just right, otherwise things are out of focus. I can't see how sticking something on your eyeball would work properly. How would you get them in just the right place?

 

As I understand it, there are 2 types,

1. one lens for distance and one for close work. The brain manages to work it out apparently
2. this is the weird one - the lens has concentric circles of near and far and again the brain somehow makes sense of it

Go to your optician and ask about them, they may give you a free trial.

 

I had laser surgery about 14 years ago at Optical Express. The service was great, I was in my late 20s when I had it done. I finished up with slightly over corrected vision, or 6-4 vision. I found headlights at night time harder when driving as they were more dazzling and had a halo around them. Also whenever the sun bounces off the pavement i struggle a bit.

If you do exactly as they advise to the letter in terms of rest and eye drops then you'll be fine.

Started getting migraines last year and turned out my eyes had deteriorated slightly, but because i was used to over corrected i noticed it more than someone else. I can legally drive without but I now wear them all the time. I get headaches if I don't which is probably more due to astigmatism in my left eye.

I can read stuff close up if I take them off like now btif9r dowk flel wherklr dorbt.

 

I think I’ll stick with the glasses. They’re very easy to wear, light weight, do the job. In fact I take them off for close work as I don’t need them for reading books, magazines or my Kindle. I’m not wearing them now using my phone. It’s glasses for me for the rest of my days.

 

Interesting post, I’m short sight (-4.5 & -4.25) I’ve often thought about it myself but don’t mind wearing contacts.......always worries me that if out goes wrong your knackered

 

Second this not at the reading glasses stage yet as I'm 27 but pretty much my experience the laser goes for about 30 seconds on each the worst bit is getting your eye clamped open and you literally can't open your eyes for a few hours because it feels like someone is throwing sand in them but use the drops and have a snooze I could see perfectly after 6 hours. Best money I've ever spent! Oh it was either vision express or optical express can't remember which one but it was at meadowhall opt for the lasik one as it is tailored specifically to you and your eyes. They also offered 10 month interest free finance when I had it done about 4 years ago.

 

Had a lazy eye so they wouldn't do mine.

 

Similar here. I'm -2.5, -3.0 or thereabouts and I've worn contact lenses since I was 18 without a problem.

My issue with laser eye surgery was always that it seemed to get better all the time and contacts weren't that bad, so I was never quite sure when to pull the trigger! Now I find myself barrelling towards 40 it might just about be time to go for it...

 

I just can't shake the image of a bailiff turning up at the front door with a a notice of repossession and a teaspoon.

 

I know two people who've had it, one was a great success, the other was a **** up.
Personally I wouldn't travel abroad for surgery... not that there aren't competent people abroad, there are... but being motivated by the cheap option may not necessarily lead to the smartest move. Great if everything is perfect, not so good if you need to go back or claim for whatever reason.

 

Had mine done and best money ever spent mate

 

If it’s for reading glasses, not sure they can do it….