Laser Eye Surgery - Opinions

jussayeh

I did know that monovision can take a bit of time to get used to but I would have thought that my dominant eye i.e. the one that was corrected for distance, in my case my right eye, would have good distance vision when the other eye is covered ..... although the brain takes a while to adjust and compensate for the disparity between the eyes when you use both surely if you only use one eye that the vision in that one should be 20/20 or work at maximum capacity ... sorry I'm not sure of the terminology ....

Daisies

jussayeh wrote: »

I did know that monovision can take a bit of time to get used to but I would have thought that my dominant eye i.e. the one that was corrected for distance, in my case my right eye, would have good distance vision when the other eye is covered ..... although the brain takes a while to adjust and compensate for the disparity between the eyes when you use both surely if you only use one eye that the vision in that one should be 20/20 or work at maximum capacity ... sorry I'm not sure of the terminology ....

No, you are right. I'd request a sooner appointment if it's bothering you. You may have a bit of a prescription left in the eye set for distance and may need a top up surgery.

Amtmann

How are you feeling today, jussayeh?

Seve OB

I got it done last week

alfredi

molly29 wrote: »

I'm due to have lasik in the Wellington eye clinic next month. Quite nervous, has anybody had any complications at this clinic?:eek:

hi just saw your quote from 2009 , I had lasik too but didn't work out for me I was wondering if you remember your consent or the video the clinic gave you?

alfredi

hi all I am new to this and saw this message board from 2 yrs back, I am wonderin did anybody have lasik at the wellington ? do u have the video they sent out or the consent forms ?

Mousewar

I have the video alright. Why, what went wrong?

alfredi

years later I have complications, dry eyes gritty eyes , have not slept in years, wakes me up, continuos non stop pains , night vision crap in eye and acuity problems that cant be fixed in anyway and am told its going to get worse with no cure , I am not trying to say this happens to a lot , but it has happened to me years after the lasik , I never came across these chronic complications in the consent form and am told they were known in 2007 , i was interested to see if they are mentioned in the "video" that is referred to in the consent form, this is from 2007 by the way so I presume the video is different now , the clinic said the old video is on youtube under wellington clinic laser eye surgery part one of 2 and part 2 and I just want to see if this is the video they used to send out in 2007 , any advise would be greatly appreciated thanks

Ann22

I had mine done there. I posted here about it a long time ago. I had prk done in '94 and lasik done on the other eye in 04. I am naturally extremely short sighted. So a lot of problems that occur with chronic short sight have happened to me. I have a large amount of floaters, I'm likely more prone 'cos of my longer eyeball. I've had a few small retinal bleeds in my weaker eye which thank God, cleared up. I was diagnosed with high bp so between that and the extra stretching and thinning that occurs at the back of a short sighted eye I was more prone to them . My night vision isn't good, I was drinking carrot juice every day and it was helping but I can't get it anywhere now. I do get haloing, very annoying when watching a night scene on tv, it helps to have well lubricated eyes. Mine are really dry. They were dry even before the surgery. I find Optrex dry eye sprays are great though the Boots own brand isn't near as good.

Alfredi, try wearing an eye mask at night. You may not be closing your eyes fully when you sleep causing them to dry out even more. Use Lacrilube ointment just before you pop it on and turn off the radiator in your room.

Mousewar

And your surgery was done in the Wellington? Surprising, they have an excellent reputation. Who's told you it's going to get worse? Obviously, I assume you've been in close contact with the surgery about further treatment?

I think they fairly well cover themselves with the consent form. Dry eyes is definitely a side-effect of the surgery, especially LASIK as opposed to LASEK. So I imagine it is mentioned in the literature - I think it is but can't quite remember. Obviously, it's unusual for it to be a problem so long after surgery. I'm not a eye expert but I hope you're getting expert advice on it.

alfredi

i went to the USA and saw a few specialists as well as in Ireland , apparently some people develop complications years later and they are chronic , if you google (lasik american academy of ohpthalmology or royal college of ophthalmology and lasik) you see all the reputable academic institutions recommend they should be in the consent forms , google consent form lasik and go to the omic site you 'll see what a consent form should actually say , i'd love to know if you had your lasik a few years ago ? are you able to please check your video and see if it is the same as the youtube one if so? that would help me out a lot thanks

alfredi

thank you for the advise , I will try the optrex and an eye mask , i also recommend omega 3 oil supplement , I just saw several specialists one recommended a new dry eye treamtnt called lipiflow cheers for the advise

alfredi

Ann22 wrote: »

I had mine done there. I posted here about it a long time ago. I had prk done in '94 and lasik done on the other eye in 04. I am naturally extremely short sighted. So a lot of problems that occur with chronic short sight have happened to me. I have a large amount of floaters, I'm likely more prone 'cos of my longer eyeball. I've had a few small retinal bleeds in my weaker eye which thank God, cleared up. I was diagnosed with high bp so between that and the extra stretching and thinning that occurs at the back of a short sighted eye I was more prone to them . My night vision isn't good, I was drinking carrot juice every day and it was helping but I can't get it anywhere now. I do get haloing, very annoying when watching a night scene on tv, it helps to have well lubricated eyes. Mine are really dry. They were dry even before the surgery. I find Optrex dry eye sprays are great though the Boots own brand isn't near as good.

Alfredi, try wearing an eye mask at night. You may not be closing your eyes fully when you sleep causing them to dry out even more. Use Lacrilube ointment just before you pop it on and turn off the radiator in your room.

thank you for the advise , I will try the optrex and an eye mask , i also recommend omega 3 oil supplement , I just saw several specialists one recommended a new dry eye treamtnt called lipiflow cheers for the advise

Daisies

Try flaxseed as a supplement.A lot of surgeons will recommend it to people with dry eye before they have any form of eye surgery.

Mousewar

I actually haven't had the surgery. I just had the consultation. Was never going to get Lasik though - Lasek seems superior and safer to me. I have their DVD here but it's one I got only a couple of months ago so unless it hasn't changed it wouldn't the one you got.

Seriously though, can you confirm where you had the surgery.

Gingko

I'm presently considering getting it done. My eyes are both -3. I went in for the consultation with Optical Express last week. They were pretty thorough in their check up and advise.

They quoted me €2000 for standard Lasek and €3000 for Wavefront. Those prices are with a referral which I have by someone who is delighted with the treatment they received at the same store 3 years ago. They knock €300 off the price with a referral.

From what I can see the over whelming majority are in favour of this treatment. Not just here but across the globe going by countless websites and forums etc. I travel a lot and surf too so this would free me up greatly as I won't have to worry about running out of contacts, glasses getting damaged or bag being robbed with gear in it and being stuck abroad blind!

I know three people who have had the laser done and all strongly recommend it. May just go for it in the coming months.

tbeans

Hello,

I've a quick question for Lasek people. How soon after did you go back to work?

I've mine booked in for a saturday at Ultralase, Dundrum and plan on heading back to work Tuesday...4 days after treatment.

From your experience - will this be ok? Or does it depend on person?

Also my surgeon is Eamonn Hynes - anyone any experience of him?

Very very very nervous to say the least

mikeystipey

tbeans wrote: »

Hello,

I've a quick question for Lasek people. How soon after did you go back to work?

I've mine booked in for a saturday at Ultralase, Dundrum and plan on heading back to work Tuesday...4 days after treatment.

From your experience - will this be ok? Or does it depend on person?

Also my surgeon is Eamonn Hynes - anyone any experience of him?

Very very very nervous to say the least

hi tbeans, 4 days is a little bit tight, but it does depend on the person. Somoe people are fine after 2 days, others it takes a week. If you work in front of a computer all day you're eyes might get sore or watery if you've only done the surgery 4 days beforehand. So maybe make some provision, i.e. make sure you don't have any tight deadlines a few days after coming back, just in case you need to rest your eyes.

Don't be nervous though, the procedure itself doesn't hurt a bit and it'll be the best thing you've ever done. I did a sort of diary of my progress somewhere in this thread, if you search for the word diary it should come up. Best of luck!

squeakyduck

I had intralase LASIK done over 2 years and my eyes are still perfect.

I had my consultations with a lovely guy called Martin in Optical Express in Donnybrook/Ballsbridge and I had the surgery done up in Belfast at the time (I was getting a better deal across the border)

Even though I spent a small fortune on it, it's the best money I've spent on myself. Regaining perfect eyesight is amazing!

joseangel

Hi,

I got the latest, shiniest blingest version of laser there ever was to have and it cost me roughly $7000 australian dollars. It was done with a highly reputable surgeon but while this is a must have, you will never be prepared for the the myriad of things that COULD go wrong in the aftermath.
Like many people that have has laser eye surgery, I have not suffered from extreme dryness or any other highly debilitating eye conditions but what i can tell you is my experience with it.

It has been 3 months since the surgery. From the very beginning, I noticed that my computer vision/reading vision was little blurry. This is to be expected after surgery. i waited patiently for it to get better. My surgeon then enhanced my left eye just to get it a little sharper but the results are that while my vision is excellent far away (being initially myopic with an astigmatism), close up it is worse than what it was when i wore glasses.
So while my distance vision is amazing, i cannot tell you how depressing it has been to come into work everyday and deal witha blurry computer. i have evem made the print bigger but this does not help. My surgeon just keeps saying that I need to wait , it may get better in a a few months time. What i think is really interesting is that of course when i get tested, It is showing up as perfect but nobody seems to be testing my vision close up on the computer. I cannot explain why this is happening only that I am not crazy, The compiuter is blurry and my eyes feel strained as a result. the result is that i am probably going to have to wear readoing glasses for close up and of course that is something no surgeon wants to hear, they would prefer you put up with a blurry monitor because after all you did get laser so as NOT to wear glasses. I have been extremely depressed about my close up vision mainly because no solutions have been offered to me, its like I'm the only one in the world experiencing this...

Anyway, this is the situation I am in. I was wondering if anybody is having the same experience an any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Jose.

Mousewar

How old are you Jose?

MOR66

If your in a stable finicial position i think it's a good option to consider!
Most people need glasses at sometime in their lives with degeneration, but glasses can actually make it worse as your eyes grow dependent on them.
Also, glasses aren't very appealing to the opposite gender or whatever your into!!

amtc

Got mine done exactly a year ago....
Driving from Stillorgan to Blanchardstown tonight - not a problem. Have never had a problem. Couldn't recommend enough...and I was very short sighted....can put on eye makeup no problem, two minutes extra in bed every am.....and I had astigmastym as well.

Mine was LASIK. bit blurry and red for a few days but that was it.

oldfart

If anything does go wrong, (I know the chances are slim.....but!) do you get compensation, or do you sign that away before surgery?

yllw.ldbttr

oldfart wrote: »

If anything does go wrong, (I know the chances are slim.....but!) do you get compensation, or do you sign that away before surgery?

You do sign a disclaimer, which alleges to waive a certain amount of rights, at least I did with Optilase, and I'm sure others are the same.
That said, in cases of proven negligence with severe consequences (for example blindness) you would still have a good chance of winning legal action and compensation, but for the normal problems, which will all have been explained to you, I'd say you'd have zero chance of compensation.

Charisteas

oldfart wrote: »

If anything does go wrong, (I know the chances are slim.....but!) do you get compensation, or do you sign that away before surgery?

I haven't read of anything going wrong during surgery, only infections which happen after surgery, in which they could turn around and say that you weren't taking your post-op medicines properly or adhering to their post-op advice. It really could be your word against there's.

I've read a copy of a disclaimer and it pretty much states that there is a risk with any surgery. You should be given a copy of the terms and conditions after a consultation, and before any commitment. So you can read over the small print before deciding to proceed with surgery.

Charisteas

Regarding Optical Express, their website states that they offer three types of treatment -

-Standard
-Wavefront
-Advanced CustomVue Wavefront LASIK with ifs 150 Intralase.

I get that 'Intralase' is only for LASIK, but what's the difference between 'Wavefront' and 'Advanced CustomVue Wavefront'?

The website also says that 'Wavefront' is suitable for both LASEK and LASIK, so am I right in thinking that 'Advanced CustomVue Wavefront' is LASIK only?

Optical Express seem to give the impression that LASIK (with IntraLase) is the best treatment available, but LASEK looks to me to be the lower risk treatment, so i'm still in two minds which procedure to ask for when I have my consultation in 2 weeks.

Solair

My prescription keeps slightly changing (usually getting a bit worse) so I'd be loathed to do anything permanent.

Went from -2.75 ... -3.00....-3.5... now at -3.75 + -4.00....

(Late 20s!)

veritable

Ultralase insolvent and now Optical Express:

Optical express is closing 40 stores and has gone into administration.

http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/health-and-beauty/optical-express-subsidiary-collapses-into-administration/5041374.article

Ultralase bankrupt:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/markets/article-2160695/Banks-sale-sign-eye-surgeon-Ultralase.html

discombobulate

Just had my eyes tested for the first time last week and picked up a pair of glasses. My prescription is -1, -.75

I probably needed them for my long vision for the last few years but kept putting it off. I want to get laser done and was wondering how long I should wait after having my first test to getting it done? Is there a minimum recommendation?

Also who the best to go with would be without reading through this entire thread. Thanks