lazer eye surgery...

blackprince

hiya, just wondering, iam thinking of getting the surgery and wondering is it safe enough like?, did any1 who got it done have ever had any problems after it?...realy intrested to find out all the facts befor i go for it.

thanks

Caoilinn T

Hey, I had laser eye surgery in Optilase in Dublin with Dr.Hurley. I had shopped around but was most confident with optilase. the staff are very profesional and you feel you are in the right hands. Their aftercare is brilliant and they have a life time care policy which i think is brilliant. I paid 2500 euro for both eyes . It definetly beats the glasses . I would highly recommend it. The treatment is so quick and it painless. If you have any questions, let me know. I had a -5 presciption so i was pretty blind. I have better than 20/20 now apparently.:):)

blackprince

hey thanks Caoilinn T, thats great ill enquire bout it at optilase, sounds like a good company. can the 2500 be paid later on down the line do you know? or by a certain amount a month?. whats the life care policy if u dont mind me asking?. ya my eyes arent the best either, so ill defently look into this further, better then 20/20 ya, thats great

thanks for the reply

veritable

blackprince wrote: »

hey thanks Caoilinn T, thats great ill enquire bout it at optilase, sounds like a good company. can the 2500 be paid later on down the line do you know? or by a certain amount a month?. whats the life care policy if u dont mind me asking?. ya my eyes arent the best either, so ill defently look into this further, better then 20/20 ya, thats great

thanks for the reply

i Paid 2790 last year with optilase but I don't know if the price has come down though since then. it was definitely cheaper than the other clinics i visited. they had a life time care policy when i got it done. whatever you choose , good luck!

blackprince

hey veritable, i checked out optilase and asked for info pack. thay seem like a good company alright. i think ill go with them, rang a few places alright, there's a place in cork 559 an eye, i wouldnt trust them lol.

thanks a lot

veritable

best of luck with your surgery!

LilMsss

OP, I had Laser Eye Surgery in 2005 at Blackrock Clinic with Prof. Collum (think he's retired or semi-retired now!). He was an excellent surgeon and I had no complications, at least none that my surgeon considered serious enough to be complications.

I was -9 and -9.5 (including correction for astigmatisms) and the surgery was definitely the right decision for me. They can only correct up to a maximum of -7 or -7.5 depending on corneal thickness, so I still wear glasses and contact lenses but can get by for most things without them.

Don't blindly believe all of the advertising hype from many of the private clinics, these are your eyes we're talking about, and there are many complications and things that can go wrong that can affect you for the rest of your life.

I have mild dry eye, so will need to use artificial tears for the rest of my life, although I don't use them every day, I notice if I haven't used them for a few days. I have night-time myopia, which means that my night vision is compromised, and the contrast isn't as pronounced as it was before surgery. I can still drive, but if I had to undertake a long journey at night, or specifically if it was raining heavily, I'd stay at home or leave during daylight.

One of the flaps didn't reattach itself properly and there is a little scarring on the cornea. It doesn't affect my vision, that I would notice, but when getting eye tests etc. I find it difficult to get sharpness in the vision in that eye.

In spite of all of the above, I still consider my surgery a success. Before my surgery, I couldn't have functioned, or left the house without glasses or contact lenses. I couldn't see very well in the shower and couldn't go swimming, as I'd lose whoever I was with!!! :eek: I am very aware of my eye health and that I still have -9 eyes, with obvious corrections. Also, my corneas are compromised for life, so I will have to take extra care with them and have regular check ups etc.

Best of luck if you decide to go ahead with the surgery, but remember it's not necessarily going to be all plain sailing.

veritable

LilMsss wrote: »

Don't blindly believe all of the advertising hype from many of the private clinics, these are your eyes we're talking about, and there are many complications and things that can go wrong that can affect you for the rest of your life.

I'm happy that your surgery went well but i think it is wrong when you denigrate the private clinics. Both myself and my sister has the surgery done in a private clinic and the result is the exact same as yours but at half the cost. the reason why clinics like the blackrock and mater get away with such rip off prices is because people like you are suckers to what is essentially their marketing strategy. in reality, they are just as private as the private clinics you look down your nose at.

blackprince

LilMsss wrote: »

OP, I had Laser Eye Surgery in 2005 at Blackrock Clinic with Prof. Collum (think he's retired or semi-retired now!). He was an excellent surgeon and I had no complications, at least none that my surgeon considered serious enough to be complications.

I was -9 and -9.5 (including correction for astigmatisms) and the surgery was definitely the right decision for me. They can only correct up to a maximum of -7 or -7.5 depending on corneal thickness, so I still wear glasses and contact lenses but can get by for most things without them.

Don't blindly believe all of the advertising hype from many of the private clinics, these are your eyes we're talking about, and there are many complications and things that can go wrong that can affect you for the rest of your life.

I have mild dry eye, so will need to use artificial tears for the rest of my life, although I don't use them every day, I notice if I haven't used them for a few days. I have night-time myopia, which means that my night vision is compromised, and the contrast isn't as pronounced as it was before surgery. I can still drive, but if I had to undertake a long journey at night, or specifically if it was raining heavily, I'd stay at home or leave during daylight.

One of the flaps didn't reattach itself properly and there is a little scarring on the cornea. It doesn't affect my vision, that I would notice, but when getting eye tests etc. I find it difficult to get sharpness in the vision in that eye.

In spite of all of the above, I still consider my surgery a success. Before my surgery, I couldn't have functioned, or left the house without glasses or contact lenses. I couldn't see very well in the shower and couldn't go swimming, as I'd lose whoever I was with!!! :eek: I am very aware of my eye health and that I still have -9 eyes, with obvious corrections. Also, my corneas are compromised for life, so I will have to take extra care with them and have regular check ups etc.

Best of luck if you decide to go ahead with the surgery, but remember it's not necessarily going to be all plain sailing.

Thank you for the message, I didnt know that it would be that complicated, as i just saw the adverts on television and that. I would love to get great vision without the aid of glasses. Its hard to do sports and that with bad vision, I cant play hurling without glasses. Iam going to apply for the gardai so ild like to lose the glasses, but i have seen some people with glasses in it.

I also didnt know about after surgery care like dry eyes and affected night vision. I will take these into conideration before I act. I do a lot of driving, and at night, so i realy have to think about this.

thanks fot the message.

LilMsss

No problem BlackPrince. Although as far as I know, the lower your original prescription, the less side affects there are in terms of night vision. It all depends on the level of correction.

I know people who have had lower prescriptions than mine and have come through surgery with zero of the complications that I had. I also know of two people within my extended circle who have had more severe complications, such as issues with the corneal flap healing, and in both cases there was nothing the surgeon could do.

It's very much down to individual choice. Do your research first and pick a surgeon you're happy and comfortable with. They will explain any risks based on your individual circumstances.

veritable wrote: »

I'm happy that your surgery went well but i think it is wrong when you denigrate the private clinics. Both myself and my sister has the surgery done in a private clinic and the result is the exact same as yours but at half the cost. the reason why clinics like the blackrock and mater get away with such rip off prices is because people like you are suckers to what is essentially their marketing strategy. in reality, they are just as private as the private clinics you look down your nose at.

Nowhere in my post did I 'denigrate' any kind of facility that offers laser eye surgery, nor did I claim to 'look down my nose at' any kind of private clinic. Please re-read my post if you require clarification!!!

Blackrock Clinic and the Mater Private, are both private clinics, as are Optilase and a whole host of other clinics. However, not all of these facilities are created equal. You get what you pay for, and BTW I didn't mention how much I paid so how are you so convinced that you paid half the price I did!!!

I probably should have used the term 'cut-price clinics' in my earlier post, as opposed to private. I was more than happy with the excellent service and aftercare I received at Blackrock Clinic, and the price I paid was reasonable and fair for the surgery I received. You can't put a price on your eyesight and eye health, and if someone is willing to shop around for sale prices when it comes to this, then that is their business and they must accept all of the risks that go along with this.

When I had my surgery, there weren't as many clinics offering this procedure so there was less choice, and prices were not that different depending on where you went. I paid €2100 per eye, so €4200 in total, and it was well worth it ... I'd pay more than that for an average second-hand car, and I know which one I'd get more use out of over a lifetime!

I got to choose my surgeon, who was top of his field, worked at the Eye and Ear Hospital and lectured Irish opthamologists during their training. If that makes me a sucker in your eyes, then that is extremely sad.

veritable

LilMsss wrote: »

Nowhere in my post did I 'denigrate' any kind of facility that offers laser eye surgery, nor did I claim to 'look down my nose at' any kind of private clinic. Please re-read my post if you require clarification!!!

Blackrock Clinic and the Mater Private, are both private clinics, as are Optilase and a whole host of other clinics. However, not all of these facilities are created equal. You get what you pay for, and BTW I didn't mention how much I paid so how are you so convinced that you paid half the price I did!!!

I probably should have used the term 'cut-price clinics' in my earlier post, as opposed to private. I was more than happy with the excellent service and aftercare I received at Blackrock Clinic, and the price I paid was reasonable and fair for the surgery I received. You can't put a price on your eyesight and eye health, and if someone is willing to shop around for sale prices when it comes to this, then that is their business and they must accept all of the risks that go along with this.

When I had my surgery, there weren't as many clinics offering this procedure so there was less choice, and prices were not that different depending on where you went. I paid €2100 per eye, so €4200 in total, and it was well worth it ... I'd pay more than that for an average second-hand car, and I know which one I'd get more use out of over a lifetime!

I got to choose my surgeon, who was top of his field, worked at the Eye and Ear Hospital and lectured Irish opthamologists during their training. If that makes me a sucker in your eyes, then that is extremely sad.

You clearly are denigrating clinics like optilase. even though they are all private clinics you say that "not all of these facilities are created equal".

I know the kind of price you paid because i researched my decision last year before my i decided optilase. blackrock clinic was working out at roughly twice the price.

The risks are the exact same between both clinics. That's my point. You seem to believe that if you pay more, there is a lower risk in what is essentially a standardized procedure.

the surgeon i had was dr hurley, an irish consultant opthamologist surgeon. he is among the top surgeons in europe for eye surgery, not just laser eye surgery. he is still with optilase according to their website.

it is of course your decision how to spend your money. to use your analogy we could both go out and buy identical second hand cars. you would happily pay 4200e and i would pay 2500e for the same thing. and the reason why clinics like blackrock get away with the rip-off prices is because people like yourself pay them.

blackprince

thanks for the info LilMsss, my eyes are not that great but not that bad, I could go out to pub or that without them, I could make out whos around me after a while lol. I would realy like to go ahead with this op. iam just thinking about the complications.