Optical Express

So pleased with the consultation, the surgery and the aftercare. It is fantastic not to wear glasses, the surgery itself took only a few minutes and the team were very supportive throughout, brilliant!!!!!

The staff at Optical Express were really kind and all very knowledgable (most having had the surgery!) I was a bit nervous during the surgery but all the technicians told me exactly what was going on so I felt reassured. I could see literally straight away but I did as I was told for the rest of the day and went to sleep for a couple of hours..then I tried not to focus on anything for the rest of the day, the next day I woke and and was reading absolutely everything, clear as a bell!! i now have better than 20/20! I took all my drops as prescribed and had no bad side affects..I'm still taking the moisture drops occasionally as I work on a computer all day and they sometimes get a bit dry, but its AMAZING, I'm SO pleased I had it done, and would recommend it to everyone! The website is good too as you can read about your surgeon before hand ..and see how much practice they've had ;) it really helped put my mind at rest! And I have monthly check ups; very efficient! - Its worth every penny!

I am very happy with my surgery. The procedure was very stress free with no pain. My eye was uncomfortable for about a week afterwards and was then back to normal. Vision is great now and no need for glasses! Email me with any questions Kirsty

The surgeon and all the technicians were so friendly and really put me at ease..I was very nervous! But I had no reason to be; it was all over so quickly! and I could literally see straight away, although I tried to keep my eyes shut for the rest of the evening. I woke the next day with perfect vision.I had no bad side affects other than a few days of dry eyes (after I stopped taking the steroid drops). But they are fine now, I wish I had had the surgery ages ago! - I'm so happy with my treatment and the after care is great. I would recommend laser surgery to everyone. Especially with the discount vouchers they offer; £150.00 off surgery on the refer a friend scheme. Although surgery can be a bit expensive, it is definitely worth every penny!

I had my eyes lasered in Jan 2011 so write this with one year's experience. I had the consultation at Optical Express in Watford and was told that I could have LASIK. I agreed to this and paid a £300 deposit. On the day of the surgery at Optical Express in Uxbridge they ran a couple of tests, one of them they did twice to check the results. The surgeon told me that there was too much variation in the depth of my cornea to safely proceed with LASIK so told me that they would instead do a LASEK operation. I had done all my reading and research on LASIK and had very little knowledge LASEK as had been told at the consultation that LASIK was ok. This is probably my main issue with the the 'Laser Eye Surgery journey': the surgeon wasn't great at dealing with the questions and worries I had and seemed more keen on proceeding with the operation. He advised that the recovery time was longer and I would probably need a extra day or two off of work and briefly explained how the operation was different to LASIK. His main focus was telling me that I'd be saving £600 which was great but wasn't my main concern at the time. However, I'd gone this far, I read the brief info that they gave me and did a small amount of research on the internet using my mobile while in the waiting room and I went ahead with the procedure. I'm a bit of a pansy when it comes to my eyes (but had conveniently forgotten this!) so was a bit shaky during the procedure. It took about 20 minutes in total. Drops were put in my eyes: numbing drops and then further drops to dislodge the top layer of skin on the cornea (Epithelium). This is pushed to one side while the eyes are lasered and then put back in place afterwards. The lasering takes about 30 seconds and I didn't experience any problems or weird smells while it was going on (perhaps this is only during Lasik where the cornea is cut using a laser). Its an odd experience because you have no choice but to see what is happening but you can't feel a thing. Afterwards I was taken to a dark room for half an hour and talked through the drops that I would need to use. There were 3 different types that were used up to 4 times a day each, gradually decreasing over the following three weeks to a month. Anaesthetic drops were also given and I was told that once the drops given before the procedure had worn off, I would need to use these. I was expecting perhaps a half day of feeling uncomfortable but spent the whole weekend struggling (had the op on a Friday). This is probably in part to do with me not dealing with eye pain well. People I'd spoken to that had had the LASIK said that they were fine the next day. I took the Monday off work and my eyes were pain free by about lunchtime. Recovery time was lengthy. My vision was blurred for a few weeks after. I was ok to drive as advised by the optician on the Monday but I tried to stick to driving in daylight hours. The vision remains blurred until the top layer of skin on the cornea has healed properly. There was noticeable improvement after a few weeks but the vision was still blurred and not as sharp as I'd hoped. The optician assured me that it takes months before vision is sharp and they weren't wrong! I spent a lot of time wondering if I'd done the right thing and wondering if it would improve. It was ok in the morning but by the evening the eyes were dry and vision a bit blurred (nothing major but not what I'd hoped). I'd been expecting to use eye drops forever(!) but by around July when I had my final check up, I was told that my eyes were fine, that I didn't need drops anymore. One year on and I am happy to report that all is well. My vision is excellent - really sharp, better than when I had glasses or contacts. Only one minor issue: occasionally I get a sharp pain in one or the other eye when I'm asleep. Its like there's something in the eye. This has happened enough for me to realise that its nothing serious, I think that perhaps my eyes dry up a bit while I'm asleep, I then try and open them quickly or move them sharply when the eyes are closed and this causes then pain. It takes about 5 minutes to go away and all is well. Despite the initial lack of information from the surgeon and the following months of uncertainty, overall I'm happy with the process and especially the outcome. Optical Express in Watford were really helpful throughout and were always on hand to see me if I had any worries or issues. They were reassuring and friendly. I'd certainly recommend laser eye surgery but would stress that I found with LASEK, it wasn't an stress-free experience.

After four consultation at different clinics I eventually decided NOT to go for optical express. Whilst I'm sure they can laser eyes as well as the next surgeon, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I received a phone call from a girl at OE asking if i had any further questions or had decided anything regarding my eyes. I told her I had chosen a different clinic and had my surgery booked already. She then went on to you scare tactic to try to get me to reconsider going elsewhere; saying the other companies statics may not be reliable and that their laser won't be the latest technology. Who need that 4 days before an operation? It left me worried, and a little upset. I assume their sales team work on commission. It was like those people who go door to door to convince you to change your gas/electricity supplier. I had no problem with the consultation itself, but if you're getting your eyes done at an Optical Express, be wary of their sales tactics.

Just came back from a consultation and quoted £1800 per eye. The experience was one not of hard sell, but didn't feel it was unbiased. I have been informed this was the only surgery available due to the prescription (-5.25), It seems a bit expensive when they sell on the basis of from £395 an eye with £300 off. I might still go ahead with it, but not at the moment. If they had quoted realistic prices and advised from £395 to £200 an eye then they wouldn't have wasted an hour and a half of mine and their time.

I went to Optical Express at Lakeside in Essex to have both my eyes lasered and i must say its the best thing i have ever done. My eyesight was -2.50 in both eyes which isn't that bad but the thought of wearing contact lenses and glasses for the rest of my life was really depressing me. I had been wearing contact lenses for 20 years when one day i got an ulcer in my left eye caused by a faulty contact lens. This was the reason why i decided to have laser eye surgery. I went to see the consultant who said i was suitable to have the treatment, i then booked the surgery for a few weeks later. On the day of the surgery i was very nervous but i shouldn't have worried as the Optical Express staff were very friendly and helpful and the surgeon was also very friendly and made me feel at ease. I had the surgery which took 10 mins and was painless, i had a slight discomfort in my eyes for a few minutes after the surgery but with the eye drops given to me they were fine a few hours after. I had to wear sunglasses for my journey home as the bright lights made it a bit uncomfortable, when i got home i went to sleep for a few hours and when i woke up my eyesight was better then 20/20. I had to use 2 different types of eye-drops for 6 months after the surgery to help with the dry eye i was having, which was normal. Good luck with your treatment, Dave.

I was very nervous about going to Optical Express as they were noticeably cheaper then other practices, and I had a concern about only getting what I’d pay for. However after the initial consultation I was quite confident that the technology being used was extremely good. I had a few issues with the customer service side of things, I was left waiting 45minutes for my initial consultation without warning, but when I did eventually see the team they were very good. Once I had booked my surgery I was phoned a week before the surgery by the call centre and told it had to be moved by a rude person who wasn't interested in how un-nerving this was, and only gave me an option I wasn't happy with. Thankfully I still had a contact number for the branch I had attended my consultation, and phoned them and explained the situation and they were very apologetic and booked a different clinic for me. I was then phoned 5 days before the surgery and told I had to get my GP to complete a form due to a present heart condition. A day before the surgery and the form still hadn't arrived, and it actually didn't until the day after the surgery. Amusingly it was never requested before the surgery, so just another hiccup I could have done without! I went to Southampton Clinic on the day of the surgery (two days ago) and they were fantastic. It felt very professional, and the team were very friendly and put you at ease. I think if I had dealt with this clinic all the way through my experience would have been much better. They explained the procedure well, and it was over so quickly, and was far less scary then I had built it up to be in my head. You don’t feel a thing during the surgery, but good painkillers afterwards are a must, along with a sleep. I had expected not to be able to see at all after the surgery but you can it’s just a bit hazy. After a sleep I woke up with really good vision, although still a little cloudy, by the following morning it was amazing, and having had my next day appointment I’ve already got better then 20/20 vision and it will carry on improving. My prescription was -2.75 + -3.25 with astigmatism in one eye.

The best thing I've ever done. I was -5.50 and -5.75 so I was pretty blind and it still 5 weeks on hasn't sunk in that I don't need my lenses or glasses and that I can see perfect all the time. I am 40 and have been wearing glasses since the age of 8. Its taken me a while to get the courage to go for it but I am so glad I did. My surgeon was great. Mr Teenan and his staff just carry out the surgery with ease. It literally took about 10 mins top for both eyes. Its a lot of money for the time it took but the end result is worth it. I could have went somewhere else cheaper but I wanted someone recommended and I would only go to this surgeon as I had not heard one single bad one about him.