Has anyone had laser eye surgery?

[New2Bumps]

I'm so fed up with my stupid contacts and how much they cost me. Wondering if anyone has had surgery or has any info on risks etc.

 

[AP]

My LO had it at 5weeks corrected age, and no-one mentioned any risks. Taking it from that, I'd say you'd be OK!

My friend and auntie had it, albeit expensive and smelly(!) they both said it was the best thing they did

 

[Dodgegal]

I had it when it was fairly new. My eyes were good for 10 years, now I wear glasses again, but my eyes were really bad. They were not sure if it would correct them enough. Night vision is bad and I have scaring on my eye so I now have bad asigmatism which I did not have before. I would most likely do it again if I had that choice knowing what would happen.

 

[MrsRH]

I had mine done about 8 years ago!
BEST THING I EVER DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no problems what so ever and no complications 20/20 vision
It is a bit pricey but worth every penny for me. I have saved all the money back not buying specs and contact lenses
xxx

 

[jeanettekaren]

My OH had to have it done twice as it didn't work properly the first time. Was no problem though as Ultralase sorted it out free of charge. His was corrected for long distance but it meant that he had to start wearing glasses for reading but it was explained to him fully beforehand.

 

[New2Bumps]

Thanks girls for all of your responses!
Dodgegal they are the kind of risks I was worried about.

 

[belladonna]

I had it done about 4 years ago and would do it again tomorrow! It took about 10 minutes and straight after it was done I could see! I remember on the way back to the car I walked up the stairs behind my dad and he was wearing shorts and I said 'ooh I can see all the hairs on your legs'
I did a diary on another forum about it:https://www.lasereyeforum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=200
I would definately reccommend Ultralase- they now offer a lifetime guarentee and unlike some of the others all aftercare is included.

 

[kiwimama]

My mum had it done although it was years and years ago - maybe it was a fairly new procedure back then but it made her sight even worse. One of her eyes does ok but the other is really bad.
I'd read up carefully on the risks and if you're prepared for them then I would go for it.

 

[mrksem454]

Yes, My mother had it done, She said its really uncomfortable for a few days after, She also said that, smell the burning as it took off the top layer of skin. But I know that every 10 years you have to go back and get it re-done and when you keep getting it done its more likely to cause blindness.

 

[Inge]

Yes, My mother had it done, She said its really uncomfortable for a few days after, She also said that, smell the burning as it took off the top layer of skin. But I know that every 10 years you have to go back and get it re-done and when you keep getting it done its more likely to cause blindness.

I didnt know you had to go back every 10years and re-do it. Is that what you have to do for every type of laser eye surgery? Im thinking of doing it in a few years, but am not too sure

 

[Zipp]

One of my friends had it done. i went with her on each trip.

It was very expensive but she said it was worth every penny. x

 

[Aero]

I've had LASIK and it was the best money I've ever spent. I was -6.5 and -7 (i.e. couldn't see anything without glasses) and my vision is now better than 20/20.

My advice would be don't go to the High Street guys - go somewhere specialised like Moorfields (which is where mine were done). Two reasons: specialist eye hospitals tend to have the most up to date equipment and therefore you are minimising your risk. Secondly, some High Street operators are trained solely in that particular method so if something goes wrong or you have other complications, they may not be the best people to help sort your issues out.

The other thing is, don't believe the prices you see on TV! Prices tend to increase the higher your prescription. Mine ended up being about £4k all in, which is definitely the more expensive side of things but I did my research and this was one of the few surgeons I wanted operating on me.

There is a brilliant (but long!) thread on a site called Pistonheads which has loads of advice from a couple of eye surgeons on LASIK, but I'm not allowed to post links on here yet as I haven't been a member long enough. PM if you're interested and I'll send you the link

Editted to add: the people who are mentioning the smell. It's not the smell of your eye/skin burning, it's the smell of the laser. And it really isn't that bad.

And to the person who said you have to redo your eyes every 10 years, that's just plain wrong. If you have your eyes done young enough (when they are stable), you can have years before your eyesight deteriorates. The point is that your eyesight will naturally deteriorate over time and laser eye surgery will not stop this happening - but your eyes certainly don't need "topping up" like Botox to keep seeing well! If your eyesight does start to go, this is because it naturally would have gotten worse at that point in your life anyway.

 

[shopgirl771]

unfortunatly i didnt have such a great experience with my procedure. all in all i have 20/20 vision which was the desired result and i cant complain at that but i also have extra sensative eyes now and have to spend a fortune on eye drops all the time. this also means my eye make up runs and ive developed eczema in the outer corner of one eye because of this. i was not warned about this side effect.
my procedure itself was a nightmare with it taking an hour and a half to complete instead of the estimated 20 mins. the laser machine broke down on the day so i had to be transfered to another centre - i know this is out of anyones control but it added to the stress on the day. i was also offered whisky as a sedative as i was so nervous. WTF!!!!!!! this was at a high street chain.
when i signed my agreement with them at the consultation they did it after applying eye drops so i couldnt read what i was signing for. another place i went to actually specified they asked u to sign pre testing so u could read it (maybe should have gone with them!!!).
ive also developed astigmatism but im waiting to see if this is related to my pregnancy first otherwise i shall be making another complaint to them as i was not expecting to have to wear glasses again after 2 year and £3.5k wasted.

all that said i am the only person i know who has had a bad experience with laser surgery. ive spoken to alot who are all very happy. i was just unfortunate.

as aero says above tho, go to moorfields - i would if i could do it over again and dont be fooled by the prices on the ads. the treatments that they advertise for £300 you would have a perscription so low u wouldnt bother with surgery.

 

[michellebr]

Yes, I have I had this sergary berofe two months

 

[michellebr]

I notice some difference but not as much as I had hoped for. A little bit. Take some vaseline and smear it in your nostrils. That way you don't smell the burning . None apart from not being able to face bright light for a couple of days and an itching in the eyes which obviously I couldn't scratch.

 

[sheridon1984]

I had my eyes lasered about 4 years ago I think! Best thing I ever did before marriage and motherhood! I went to Ultralase and they were fantastic, I do still suffer with dry eyes sometimes but its a small price to pay