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Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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Before treatment: -6.25 in both eyes, relatively large pupils, no astig or other complications. No detection of dry eyes.
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I've been contemplating this for a year and a half, and like anyone I was full of trepidation about what might go wrong, I had a consultation at Optimax Newcastle 1.5yrs ago when I knew little about the treatments. I felt insecure as to make a decision and at the time I couldn't afford intralase as well as wavefront. I decided to walk.
A couple weeks ago I went to Optical Express Newcastle as I'd heard very good things about their surgeon who is a legend in the laser surgery community (apparently). I was impressed by the consultation but not by the final price, which jumped considerably to over £3,400.
I was told by Optical Express that Optimax use old technology (the Nidek) but after coming home and doing research I found that its neck and neck and nothing in it to be of a concern.
At this stage my decision was to get the best treatment at a reduced cost. I found Optimax on ebay, and also found a post on this forum where a Soldier had it done for £2,200. The free-credit option has long gone, but this I could afford. I arranged the deal and signed up at Newcastle.
The consultation at Newcastle was better than the last time. They were more obvious about the complications and making the patent aware based on their expectations. They were not as good as Optical Express by some margin if I'm honest. Optical Express felt more personal, such as offering a cup of tea. It's the little things that make-or-break in sales. I'd already made my decision however, and nothing was going to stop me this time.
At 12.00 I underwent surgery. The procedure was straight forward. I had(have) flu and have a bad cough, but I successfully controlled it the night before when lying on my back and believed I could do it under the knife.
They clamp some stuff around your eye then use a suction device to hold your eyeball. No pain here. The Inralase machine goes around and they call the time from 22 seconds.
You are swivelled over and stare at a red laser pattern. This again doesn't hurt and only the smell of burning is noticeable.
Throughout the op the doctor kept saying "stay calm" which for me indicated some people have previously freaked. If you are ne of these people I'd be careful about going in for surgery.
And the results...
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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Blurry but noticeable improvement (e.g it was working).
No immediate pain. When I got home and closed my eyes the pain started. It's not a bad pain, like keeping contact lenses in for maybe 2 days! I couldn't look at light. If I kept my eyes open and walked around the pain almost disappeared. I did that until the evening and the pain deminised.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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I went back to the Clinic for the after-care today. I can read the third line down, just, and close text is no problem. My long distance looks like it will be spot-on but my eyes take time to focus, and the focusing is unreliable.
I've no night effects other than poor vision at the moment. Some lights are a little starbursted but nothing worse than wearing glasses with a bit of grease on them.
My eyes have become less sensitive to light and although I'm wearing sunglasses I can take them off.
My vision improved after they removed the contact lenses that are put on straight after op. It's still unsettled. It's too early to call it, on the one hand I can focus long distance, on the other, many things are blurred and there is high instability.
No issue with dry eyes at all. No pain either - I can't feel a thing.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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Eye sight seems to have deteriorated a bit, or maybe not - I'm unsure. It's unstable in that a blink can change what you are looking at from focused to unfocused and the lower the light the lower the vision.
When I look outside long distance I can see clearly but then somethings go out of vision as if one eye is moving by itself so the two can't forcus together.
Vision improves as the day goes on.
Obviously this is only the second day so no conclusion can yet be drawn. On the plus, I have large pupils and dont suffer from halo's and other "special effects" in low light. I hope this continues!
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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3.35 and eye sight outside has improved drastically. It must be 20/20 at least. Really happy.  The focusing seems to have settled.
In lower light vision still poor.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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It's now a week since the op. I've been experiencing focusing issues as my brain tries to adjust to the way my eyes have changed. It's like going from glasses to contact lenses when either has been worn for a while. The brain expects to be able to focus using "presets" but these are out-of-sync.
This effect has been reducing though my brain forgets in the morning and picks it back up as the day goes on.
Actual quaility of vision is now excellent during the day, not bad at night, some starbursts around lights at night, can still vary as eyes lose focus a bit.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 17 October 2009 18:08
Posts: 20,
Visits: 100
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Hi snoopy,
mine was done on 5th March - although I had epi-lasek, I have pretty much the same focussing issues that you describe here. It is getting better for me every day. I sit at a pc all day and have to keep telling myself to stop and look up frequently. I'm pleased that I can read things over the other side of the room which were a total blur beforehand.
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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The "effect" has just about gone now. I've been back for the weekly checkup and eyes are now long sighted a bit at +0.25. However both are the same and getting better as they heal. My vision is alround excellent. Night sight is getting better too and I dont have much in the way of star bursts.
Dryness has started in the morning but has also been improving.
Looking good!
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 01 April 2009 14:35
Posts: 11,
Visits: 9
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Just an update. It's been a couple weeks now. The redness from the sunction cup has nearly disappeared in the left eye and has gone from the right.
My vision in light is truly stunning in both eyes. I just can't believe the clarity.
In low light it's not bad at all but focusing is slightly different than what I was used to. I'm not suffering from halo's, hazyness etc and believe the intralase+wavefront might have gone towards eliminating this aftereffect. It's still sharp in nighttime, nothing that I'm worrying about at all.
On the post op checkup (two weeks) I was told that I'm slightly long sighted in both eyes but this will reduce naturally, as it appears to have been doing as time goes on.
I am very happy. The slight snags are very much worth the procedure, especially when you are as blind as I was.
Eyes still slightly dry in the morning but one refesher drop does the whole day.
More in a couple weeks.
Andrew
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 08 April 2009 18:28
Posts: 1,
Visits: 5
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Hello there,
Not sure if I should post here or if there is an official Welcome part of this Forum. Have been reading lots of postings here, mainly to glean as much info as possible about pros and cons of laser surgery.
I have just recieved a letter from Optimax offering half price Intralase Lasik Wavefront.(month of May only)
Still not too sure what this is but apparently it's a lot more sophisticated and with a quicker recovery, less pain etc etc.
Anyway obviously I would like the best you can get surgerywise and now it has become within my price range.....starting to panic a bit as I can't use the "oh it's way too expensive but .." now I can seriously think hard about it. Big decision.
I want to go for it, my husband is more scared than I am about all the things that can go wrong, especially as our work is illustration and graphic design.
I am shortsighted -3.75 in both eyes getting slight difficulty with reading lately ( age thing)
It's a fair old way to our nearest Clinic (Bristol) from Falmouth in Cornwall so apart from mega money it'll mean days and days off work and lots of travelling. Husband driving if I get the surgery. OMG even saying that gives me jitters.
Kind of excited though at the thought of waking up in the morning and seeing stuff clearly and feeling wide awake instead of blurry and fumbling around for glasses or messing about with lenses.
sorry about all the waffling....do you think it's worth doing? Is it very uncomfortable? how soon are you able to drive? do they tell you all the discomfort you seem to have been going through?...
just need a bit of a push I spose.
cheers
Jules J
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