Duchy Hospital

From the very first moment i met Mr Kumar at a Lasik presentation evening he was very knowledgeable, professional, approachable and keen to answer any questions you throw at him. My vision is normally so bad that without lenses or contacts i am unable to even see the optical chart, this is my reasoning for having laser surgery.

My appointment for surgery was 10.45 am on 28 February 2009. Two hours before surgery i had taken paracetamol to ease the pain (this is advised by Dr Kumar). On arrival i was lead into a pre-op room where personal details were taken and was prepared for surgery, this involved covering of both ears and hair. Valium was offered however i declined……..worst mistake ever!! Would advise anyone to accept valium as nerves got the better of me and made the whole procedure much more uncomfortable, requiring nursing staff to calm and reassure me throughout. Anesthetic eye drops were applied to my right eye prior to procedure, my eye was then clamped open and laser commenced, this took approx 15 mins and would describe pain as mild. Then i had to undergo the same procedure again for my left eye which was not a nice thought! Straight after laser treatment i was left to recover in a dark room for 30 mins, eyes very sore at this point. Nurse then led me into pre-op room where i enjoyed pre-ordered lunch, sunglasses required from this point due to light sensitivity. 20 mins later Mr Kumar re-examined my eyes and i was free to go, along with 3 sets of drops which required 4 times a day applying for the next week. When i got home i took more painkillers and went to bed for a few hours (eye shields in place), eyes really sore for the next few hours but decreased in time.

Follow up appointment next morning and my vision tested, even though less than 24 hours post surgery i was able to read down to line 4 on the optical chart…….wot an improvement! Both eyes felt strained due to haziness and light sensitive requiring sunglasses at all times. Luckily i took the following week off and would highly recommend this as work was not an option duet to eye strain and vision clarity.

Now i am 6 days post surgery and my vision is better than ever and is improving on a daily basis, however my eyes are still tender and occasional double-vision. At this point i am still needing to rest my eyes midday for up to an hour as eyes feel strained, this does subside after resting. Next appointment in 2 weeks.

On reading other peoples reviews of Lasik surgery i found that in my case the healing process took a lot longer and i appeared to have more side-effects than the average person which worried me and made me wonder if i had made the right decision. Now looking back i should have been more patient and realised that the healing time varies in each case and perhaps prescription strength affects healing process. I am still unsure how i will manage at work next week but overall i would highly recommend Mr Kumar and Lasik surgery 100%.

*REMEMBER – BE PATIENT TIME IS A GREAT HEALER*

I went to ICON and Ultralase for a free consultation. Ultralase offered a more professional consultation and took more time to describe the procedure but had the formal atmosphere. ICON was not quite as good but they seemed a little more personal with you.
I chose Icon because they had a special offer of £1195 for Bi-Lateral LASIK treatment. The treatment has gone well and after 24hrs my eyesight was 20/20.

Would not hesitate in recommending them but make sure you feel comfortable with them.

I had the bilateral LASIK procedure on the 18th April. Before the operation I was very nervous so Martha the nourse, gave me some Valium that really helped.

The operation was quick, about 20 minutes, I just felt a little bit of pressure when the flap was made. The Surgeon,Mr Kalognomas was very gentle and competent, he also kept telling me what was happening next to reassure me and make me feel better.

I really appreciate that all the staff at the Eye Academy is very helpful and knowledgeable.

About two hours after the operation when I was home, my eyes started being watery and I had pain in my right eye, so I took the sleeping tablets and went to bed.

The day after when I woke up I was surprised of how good I could see.

Now 6 weeks later, my vision is very good, I’m really glad I did it; I strongly recommend the Eye Academy to anyone, the LASIK treatment will change your life.

If you want some information, please feel free to email at silvanazappaterra@hotmail.com

I had both my eyes lasered twice by Kalagnomas at the Eye Academy Harley Street as both were under corrected the first time. I am now finding my far away vision is deteriorating only 9 months after the 2nd LASIK on the 2nd eye and I intend to go back for confirmation of my current prescription this month, but am certain they will say my eyes are not as good as they were. This makes me feel sad, as I do not want to have to go through the process for a 3rd time as the enhancement was far more painful afterwards (for about 5 hours) than the 1st LASIK was.

I had LASIK eye surgery performed at the Icon Eye Academy in London in April 2003. I was quite worried in the first 2/3 weeks as the improvement didn’t seem 100% which is what I expected. However 4 months on my eye sight is perfect and I am really pleased. I think it has been excellent value for money. I think it is a scary thing to have done as you always think – what if it goes wrong with me. But I’m really really glad I went through with it.

I had my lasik surgery done in January, and I was very perturbed for the first three weeks when reading was a struggle. However, I was told to be patient and things would improve. I was told that it is about 1 month per dioptic before you get your final result. I would say this was about right for me (-2.5), as now the reading has improved dramatically.

Also to begin with I suffered a lot with dry eye (recommend Blink eyedrops), but even this has disappeared.

I can not believe that things have gone so well and my eyesight is so good. It has increased my self confidence so much, even I am surprised. It makes such a difference for me for swimming, playing golf and driving.

I would definitely recommend my surgeon Mr Kalagnomas.

I had my six month check up on Friday. I am very pleased with the results and feel it is the best money I ever spent! I can read to the last line of the wall chart and the second smallest typeface of the reading chart.

As I will be 50 next year and can still read really small print without reading glasses, I am delighted!

My eyes do get a bit dry sometimes, but this is a small problem that I used to get with contacts anyway. I have no problems with night driving, in fact it has improved since the treatment.

My sons are still wanting the treatment as soon as they are able and I would give them my full recommendation.

It is nearly a year since I had the lasik surgery in both eyes now and I am delighted.
I had -2.75 in both eyes and I now have 20-20 vision.
The procedure itself was not something I would want to go through again, and hopefully will not have to !! It was more uncomfortable than painful and I suppose I was frightened because you are imagining the worse. It was particulrly frightening when the machine would not work for my second eye and the surgeon was not forthcoming with what was going on. It did go eventually however and the operation was a success.
Some people criticise the lack of commentary you get from the surgeon, I actually prefrerred that to knowing exactly what was going on.
The after care was a litlle lacking. I could have done with a little more explanation as to what levels of pain to expect., and a stiff drink or at the very least a coffee would not have gone amiss!!! My advise to everyone is TAKE THE PAINKILLERS straight away, don’t wait until the pain starts!!
and my second bit of advise is to try and avoid a day when the tubes are on strike !!! No taxis to be had and I had to walk the couple of miles to the hotel, with just sunglasses and a very blurred A-Z !!
A year on and all I can say is that it worries me how quickly I have taken my 20-20 vision for granted. The leaves on the trees are beautiful, and I am about to go on my first holiday without a suitcase of contact lenses and solutions!!!! Watch out for peeling onions and strong hair shampoo though, boy do your eyes water !!!
No regrets, thankyou Icon Eye Acadamey !!!

I am going for the treatment on 27/2/03.
Hoping for things to go ok. My rating is based on the first consultation. The staff and surgeon were very professional. They explained all the necessary stuff and answer all my concerns. I will add on my feelings when I am back from the treatment.

I had Lasik eye surgery yesterday in both eyes. It was performed by Mr Takis Kalognomas, who explained everything before and during the surgery. It was a bit uncomfortable because of the pressure, but not painful due to the anasthetic applied before the surgery. Last night my eyes were painful and watery as though there was something in them, but I had been provided with painkillers and sleeping tablets which I used and got through the night quite easily. When I woke this morning, the pain was gone and I could see. My check up today confirms that my eyesight is as good as it was when I was wearing glasses. My prescription had been -4.5 in one eye and -4 in the other with 1.25 astygmatism in both. Due to my age (48) I will be needing reading glasses in the future, but that would have happened anyway. I have been given anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops to use for the next week, along with eye shields to wear at night.
After my check up next Wednesday I will post any more relevant comments. Overall, I am delighted with the treatment and my twin sons, who are 18 and both short-sighted, are planning to visit Icon as soon as they can!