Accuvision Laser Eye Clinic

As with most people I spent a lot of time looking into laser correction. 1 appointment at Optical Express left me unimpressed, and Optical Express left me disappointed. They told me I would probably never achieve 20:20 vision! Accuvision didn’t make any promises, but were extremely professional, clinic was clean and modern, and I discovered 2 friends had had it done there with amazing results. Their prescriptions were worse than mine!! My eyes were -4.0 each eye before my consultation, but they measured -3.25 during the consultation. Was a little worried but Accuvision assured me that they were correct readings and it was better to be under rather than over. I had Wavefront LASIK surgery (Solihull) on the 8th May 07. The whole procedure was quick and painless. The eye clamps were a little uncomfortable but that’s all. Cutting of the flap was surprisingly quick (less than 10 secs) and I was surprised that the 1st eye was done so quickly! 20 minutes after waiting in the recovery room (eyes closed) I was checked, given my eye drops and I could go home. Spent the evening with eyes closed and relaxing. Next morning had the protective lenses removed and had near 20:20 vision. Was a little disappointed that they weren’t 20:20 already! It’s been a week, some dry eyes for 2/3 days. Some ‘fog/haze’ for a day or two, then settled down. Right eye not as good as left, constantly checking by covering each eye (number plates on cars, road signs etc). Had my 1 week check up yesterday – I can just about make out the 20:10 line on the chart (two lines better than 20:20 vision), so I am absolutely overjoyed. The dryness is worse last thing at night and when I wake up in the morning, but its getting better. Eyes feel a bit ‘sticky’ and I blink to focus on far things – guess that’s my brain adjusting to being able to see so far! I’m reassured in knowing it’ll take a while for the eyes to heal and vision will fluctuate up and down. Will post more comments in June after my 1 Month check up, but I recommend the Solihull Accuvision clinic immensely. Cost me £1500 all in!!

Just to update - I had my 3 week check up last Wednesday, and everything is fab! I've still got a bit of dryness, so have been supplied with more drops, but overall its much less uncomfortable than wearing contact lenses. To be fair, I never really had a huge problem with contacts other than losing them, I just kind of got used to my eyes feeling slightly odd and never really thought much of it. I think the main reason I notice the slight dryness more now is because I'm conscious of not being able to rub my eyes! I've been driving with no problems since day 4, and was told at the recent check up that I can now resume swimming, kayaking etc so I'm really pleased about that as I was expecting to have to stay out of water for much longer. The 'smeariness' I mentioned has gone, apparently that was do to with my tear film, and even night vision is a lot better. Overall really, really pleased and well worth the cash and stress!!

Truly amazing results. I have been wearing contacts for ten years with no problems, but a friend of mine had laser correction a few years ago and I have thought about it ever since. I sent off for info from about 5 clinics, but I went for Accuvision for several reasons: free consultation, reasonable prices, latest technology and close to where I live. There was no pressure to sign up, and I was even shown a very explicit video of an operation and shown into the operating suite (I wanted to know exactly what would happen). I was fairly sure I was going ahead, but I wanted to think about it, so I took away a list of dates for the next few months. Having thought about it for a couple of weeks, I booked for Feb 22nd. Obviously it was very scary, but the staff do their best to keep you relaxed, and each eye only took a few seconds. Afterwards, I could see better, but it felt like being underwater. This is due to swelling of the tissues, which soon subsides. On the way home I felt very photosensitive, and over the next few days I wore sunglasses. My eyes were dry first thing in the morning for a couple of weeks, but that didn't persist, and neither did the night halos around street lights. I had 20/20 vision on my first check up, and now my prescription is zero in both eyes, which couldn't be better. One month after my surgery I went on holiday and was able to enjoy swimming without worrying about getting my contact lenses wet. This set me back £1800, but I'm paying it back over 10 months interest free. I would strongly recommend Accuvision, I just wish I'd done it sooner. I think it's good that pre-op and post-op patients sit together, that way the pre-op people know what to expect and the post-op people can reassure them!

I had my surgery done on 4th April 2007 at Solihull. I cannot fault the care from start to finish. Both my eyes were approx -3.50 My left eye has better vision than I had with my glasses and my right eye is as good as if I were wearing my glasses. To say I was nervous of the procedure was an understatement, but I can honestly say nothing hurt during the procedure and the level of discomfort afterwards was minimal and very short lived. I rested my eyes as instructed and I do believe this is crucial to a fast and painless experience. I know everybody has different pain thresholds and different healing rates - but I considered both mine to be low! I now feel like I've never worn glasses as my vision now is so good and so natural I would never have believed it was possible. Thank you Accuvision.

Had lasik at the Fulham branch just over a week ago. Despite being very nervous, the experience was extremely positive and I am already recommending Accuvision to my closest family and friends. I have no regrets of opting for Lasik or choosing (after lots of research) this clinic. I had 20:20 vision 24 hours after the surgery, which was quick and did not hurt. As a result I have been freed from painful lens use and I only wish I had been able to do this earlier. The single thing which could have been improved is the fact that post-op patients and those awaiting surgery sit in the same area – the obvious discomfort of an earlier patient (who I later found out had undergone a different procedure) certainly exacerbated my nerves. Having said this, every member of staff I encountered at Accuvision was extremely kind, caring and professional; I cannot thank them enough for my ‘new eyes’.

I had wavefront lasik at their Parsons Green clinic in London a couple of weeks ago. Consultation was great with no pressure to book up, which was refreshing as i felt under pressure to go ahead at the other consulatations I had. I went to 4 different places before deciding to opt for Accuvision. I chose them as they made me feel at ease, seemed honest, were not pushy, and they seem to have greater experience of dealing successfully with poorer prescriptions like mine. They were also competitively priced. The actual surgery day was quick and comfortable. They have been professional, polite and curteous at all times. I was only there about 1.5 hours on the day of the surgery, which included them rechecking my prescription, etc. Immediately afterwards my vision was a bit foggy/blurry but by the time of my check up the next day i could see ok. I had -9 eyes before! Ive now had my one week check up and have 20/20 vision in my right eye. Not quite there in my left eye yet but will update you after my 1 month check up. This may be because they altered their assesment of my left eye prescription slightly on the day of surgery saying it wasn't quite as bad as before. I suspect if they hadnt tweeked it that eye would be perfect now also. I will withhold verdict on this though until my 1 month check up. Anyhows, im glad I did it. I'm at -0.1 in my right eye and -0.3 in my left at the moment with no problems which is alot better than -9 eyes! I can now live my life completely free of glasses or contact lenses.

I was done on Thursday at the Solihull clinic, have gone from -6.5 in right eye to -0.25 and -3.75 in left to -0.5. Absolutely amazing, the team there were really good. Things are still a little smeary, which I was assured will get better - it feels a bit like having contact lenses which have been in slightly too long. Info on this site was hugely helpful, enough people have described what the actual procedure is like so I won't bore you! I was very scared, and the surgical team had to keep reminding me to try and breathe normally as I was hyperventilating for the whole of the first eye. Of course that meant I got an extra dose of that gross smell, which even though I had been expecting it was quite unpleasant. The smell does go on for the full 10 seconds, for some odd reason I was surprised by that. I think it's really good that they have everyone in the same waiting room, as it makes you feel they have nothing to hide that way. Next check up is Thursday so will update then. All the best to anyone else who is going in!

I wanted to give you a brief step by step guide through the process from initial enquiry through to surgery and the follow up. I have been wearing glasses for around 10 years now and being in my late 20's and still playing a fair bit of sport & surfing; I had become increasingly annoyed with wearing glasses and uncomfortable, tired eyes after a day of wearing contact lenses. After my initial enquiry I received an appointment confirmation & DVD in the post the next day. I found this fantastic in giving me an idea of what to expect during the initial consultation and provided I was a suitable candidate, what I could expect from the next steps. Upon arriving for the first appointment, I was impressed to hear that Accuvision treat a lot of the patients other laser surgery clinics cannot - already I began to feel more assured! I had my eyes tested which I am always quite frustrated about, having to admit to myself that my vision is just not at all good! Then, on to the more specialised checks which I found very reassuring, given we have only one set of eyes, I for one want to be sure that the best available technology will be at the surgeons disposal. I was a suitable candidate for Accuwave Lasik treatment and booked a time to come back in for my surgery. I arrived on the day, being sure to have followed all of the pre surgery requirements and was ready to go - slightly apprehensive, but this was more due to the unknown. I watched the testimonials from the DVD though & I was never scared or in doubt of having the surgery done. I was taken though after my first checks were done and lay down ready to take the next steps in regaining my vision. The process was literally 5 minutes per eye and not in the least bit painful, even though I was preparing myself for some discomfort there was none of it! I had to wait in the reception before going back in for a quick check, my surgeon Dr Brett Halliday, did notice a bit of debris but upon removing the protective contact lens found it was on the contact lens itself - so no need to worry and sent me home to rest. I have been for my one day follow up and am overjoyed in that I left with 20-20 vision and was told by Vic that it will still get better as things tighten up and the eye continues to heal! I can thoroughly recommend the clinic, staff, surgeons and the procedure and have already suggested my wife and family consider having it done as this will be truly life changing!

I found the testimonials both on this site and lasik-eyes.co.uk invaluable so thought it only right to add mine. My prescription Right Eye; Sphere minus 8.00 / Cyl minus 3.25 / Axis 25. Left Eye; Sphere minus 8.25 / Cyl minus 2.75 / Axis 158 Friday 16th March 2007 I went to Optical Express in Birmingham and must say the experience left me cold! It felt much like a cattle market and not at all personal. I was told I would be suitable for treatment and was encouraged to pay a deposit there and then in order to secure my operation as soon as possible. This gave me the feeling of a sales-orientated environment and not one whose MAIN goal is the improvement of the patients eyes... (This comes from a woman who is a qualified independent mortgage adviser – who would never resort to ‘hard sell’ tactics). Suffice to say I did NOT pay a deposit and told them that I intended seeing at least one more clinic before deciding. I had already booked my initial consultation with Accuvision on Friday 23rd March. From the moment I arrived at the Solihull clinic I felt comfortable with the environment. Vik was great he carried out the various eye checks and said I was suitable for Accuwave Lasik treatment. He explained the procedure, answered all my questions and said that should I proceed my surgeon would be Brett Halliday. I left the clinic with 4 dates when the next treatments would be conducted, no pressure to pay a deposit and book the surgery there and then. I was already 95% sure that I would return to Accuvision, but thought it through over the weekend. I rang the clinic first thing on Monday and booked my treatment for the earliest available date and I underwent surgery yesterday, Wednesday 4th April 2007. I must confess to having doubts right up until the moment I was in the laser room, in fact the day before I was removing my spectacles saying to myself it wasn’t so bad wearing contact lenses and spectacles (I had worn spectacles since I was 6 and gas permeable contact lenses since I was 17). My appointment was 12 noon – I arrived to find about 5 people calmly sitting in the reception area with their eyes closed due to the fact they had each already undergone surgery. I joined the few that were awaiting their pre-op tests. When one of the pre-op tests was conducted it showed that the surface of my eyes had altered which suggested that my prescription had altered. I therefore had my vision checked by Vik once more to confirm the current measurements. At this point I was worried I would not be operated on that day. I voiced this to Vik who assured me that they would indeed be proceeding. I eventually had my surgery just before 3pm. There is absolutely nothing to be worried about. I did get a little concerned when I was told to watch the green light and I said ‘I can’t see a green light’ – but was reassured that this was normal! WOW! I could see without visual aids!!!! I left the clinic after a final check from Brett and the instruction to rest my eyes for half the time. I spent last night watching a little TV then closing my eyes. I inserted a drop in each eye every hour, as instructed. At 11:30pm I decided it was time for bed and my partner attached the eye shields and had a chuckle at my expense! I woke up several times through the night, which is normal for me. At 6:30am my eyes felt a little gritty and I thought I would like to rub them and sat on edge of bed willing myself to ignore the sensation – my partner suggested inserting drops which was a good move and I went back to sleep for an hour and woke up with no feeling of sore or gritty eyes. I went back for my 1 day check up at 11:45am (sitting in the waiting room reading a magazine!). They were happy with my progress – not yet 20:20, but was reassured that my vision would improve day upon day. As you can see from this diary entry I am using my laptop computer with no problems seeing the screen or keyboard. I say again WOW! I really do wish I had been in a position to have undergone this surgery when I was younger – I am now 43, but hey better late than never. I will endeavour to post another one or two diary entries as time goes on and hope that it helps you to make up your mind. It occurred to me that I am very fortunate to have been able to undergo this surgery and wanted to donate my old glasses to a worthwhile organisation. I searched the internet by entering 'donate spectacles'. You may be interested to do the same.... I opted for the second sight project on the following link: http://www.secondsightproject.com/index.php you can enter your name and address and an envelope will be sent to you - they require a £1 donation to process. Feel free to e-mail me.

Ops on 15Mar07, -5 on both sides with tiny ast. in right. Had checked lots of websites (incl this one, invaluable!!) and decided to check out Accuvision, Optimax and Optical Express. Narrowed it down to Accuvision and Optical Express and made appointments for the consultation. Got the paperwork from Accuvision the next day, Optical Express didn't even manage to send the promised material within a week (and subsequently I cancelled the appointment). Consultation went well, thicker than average cornea and small pupils, both things apparently very promising. Took a couple of days to decide (no hard sell whatsoever, no chasing or anything) then booked the op. Surgeon was B. Halliday with excellent reputation. Got a nurse to hold my hand during the op, no pain whatsover (still nerve-wracking though)just a bit uncomfortable. Then a few hours of pain, I think the protective lenses they put in seriously irritated my eyes - tears streaming down my face, didn't want to open them and had to take really strong pain killers. But vision was good (took the odd peek, couldn't help it) and the pain subsided towards night time. Went to bed with the funny eye covers on (small minus point: no reference made how best to fit them) and woke up the next morning pain free and seeing pretty well. Checkup was bril, already 20:20, and then the lenses came out (talk about pain then!). Since then quite sensitive to sun and wind (sun glasses are essential) but very good vision. I returned to work after 4 days, apart from slightly dry eyes no problems. Happy about the whole thing, was well worth it.