Optical Express

I had lasik 3 weeks ago with a prescription of -7.50 and -5.00. My vision is better than 20/20 and even a day after surgery I could see very clearly. I was amazed how quick the actual surgery was. It wasn't painful, just uncomfortable but it was over so soon I hardly noticed it. I would recommend the procedure to anyone who can have it done. It's such a great feeling being able to see so clearly without the use of glasses or contact lenses. I'm very grateful to Mr Fenton and the whole team at Optical express.

It was the best money my husband as paid for me to have Lasik surgery, the staff were brilliant, Mr George the consultant was excelland and the surgery I did not feel a thing, but the next three days were very painful and you needed to keep your eyes closed, after when the lenses were removed I was pain free, then within 10days I had good vision, six weeks later I have more than 20/20 vision and cannot beleive that I can now go swimming without being worried about my lenses popping out. This is the best thing I have had done. Go on treat yourself you will not be disappointed, take my word for it.

I had done a bit of research into the various types of surgery, but when i had had the initial consultation Lasik was the best one for me. A few days before surgery i was understandably apprehensive. Its my eyes! I need them! But it didnt deter me. My early expectations were for driving standard vision. I had the op on Friday 3/12/04 and was treated very professionally. Each step was explained to me and i didn't feel half as nervous as i thought i would. Im used to operations but the most unusual feeling was when the pressure was applied to my eyes and they blacked out. It wasnt uncomfortable or painful for me. The rest of the op was less stressful than going to the dentist. I noticed the difference in my sight almost immediately. Im so glad i made the decision to have laser surgery. Its only been 24 hours since the operation, but Im seeing things I never dreamed of seeing without my glasses. If you're thinking of this operation, read all about it, accept everything has a risk, and try to relax. You will not regret your decision. It's already changed my life and I don't regret anything.

I had Lasek at the Manchester clinic on the 26th November. My earlier initial consultation, I found to be very thorough and the staff at the Sheffield Meadowhall branch were happy to answer all my questions and were very reassuring. The surgery itself I found a little uncomomfortable, actually I was scared to death! I had been told I would have a sedative but apparantly they don't do that anymore. It was painless at least. When the anasthetic wore off my eyes became painful and very light sensitive. I found it less painful if I lay with my eyes shut during this time. The next morning my eyes were still puffy and light sensitive but but the pain had pretty much gone. By the evening I found I could watch TV with sunglasses on. My vision was very clear with none of the blurriness I was told to expect. When the contact lense was removed three days later my eyes became light sensitive again but this had gone two days later. They did feel very gritty again but this didn't last more than a few hours. I had my two weeks follow up appointment yesterday & my vision has improved a lot over the last two weeks and all appears to be healing well. There is a slight cloudiness in one of my eyes but I am told this will clear shortly. On the whole, it was all well worth any pain & discomfort I had just to be free of glasses & contact lenses! The staff at Optical Express were reassuring at every stage. I would recommend them to anyone considering laser surgery.

The Otricians, Surgeons and everyone else at Optical Express are as helpful and friendly as is possible. You want to go back and see them all again, to share the wonderful experience of being a two-eyes again. If you live near Bristol then Optical Express must be high on your list for the operation.

I had Lasik surgery done in Belfast on both my eyes 2 days ago and the result is amazing, this was the first day they started doing this in Belfast and all the staff were very friendly. I was slightly nervous while waiting my turn but once I stepped into the surgery room it all disappeared as everyone was so nice, the nurses introduced themselves and I had already met the surgeon as he has a last look at your eyesight and explains the procedure before you go in to have it done. Drops are put into your eyes to numb them and then everything happens so quick it is over in no time. At no time did I feel any pain and when I sat up when it was over and opened my eyes I was amazed that I could see, it was a bit blurry but I could see better than before without glasses. When travelling home my eyes were stinging with the brightness of the light but I kept my eyes closed and went to bed when I got home. 5 hours after surgery I was able to take sunglasses off and the light didnt affect me too much, I went to my daughters Christmas concert that same night and was able to watch her glasses and contact lens free. When I go outside I still wear tinted glasses but that is only to keep dust and wind out of my eyes. I have been telling everyone and would advise anyone if they are thinking about it to go ahead, there is no pain and it was the best £1200 I have spent.

There are plenty of stories about the procedure on this site, so I'm going to tell you about my recovery. I had Wavefront Lasik 2.5 months ago at Optical Express, Shaftesbury Avenue with Mr Giledi. I previously had a prescription of -3.5 in each eye with astigmatism. I had been happy wearing glasses for nearly 20 years, but the reason I decided to have surgery was because I had to wear contact lenses for sport, parties, etc. and absolutely hated them. It came to the point where I needed new glasses, new prescription sunglasses (which I used for skiing), as well as new contact lenses. I totted up the cost and realised that I’d be spending nearly as much on that lot as having surgery!! I had the initial consultation and was told I could have Lasik, which I was very happy about because of the shorter recovery times and reduced discomfort compared to Lasek. For anyone who wants to have surgery, but is squeamish about people touching your eyes, I would recommend going for a consultation. There is quite a lot of eye-touching involved, so if you can handle the consultation, you’ll get through the op just fine! I also went for Wavefront, not for any clinical reason, but simply because I wanted to get the best possible outcome. I had to pay £800 more, but I my reasoning was that if you’re gonna mess with your eyesight, you may as well do it properly! I had the Wave Scan a couple of weeks before the surgery date. There seems to be some kind of technique to getting a good reading. Apparently some people just don’t get the hang of it. I got very tired about half way through so the technician sent me out to have a cup of tea and a rest. The operation itself was fine – I had the Valium and I took some strong painkillers as soon as I went into the recovery room. The following day when I went in for my check-up, my distance vision was 2 lines better than 20/20 which I was absolutely amazed about!! However, for the next couple of weeks, I had problems focussing on anything which was a metre or two away, so shopping was a nightmare! When I went back to work, I couldn’t look at the computer screen for very long, my eyes got terribly dry and I got really bad headaches. In the end I had to resort to wearing sunglasses in the office, to cut the glare of the lights and allow me to close my eyes while on the phone without people noticing. I ended up wearing sunglasses for a month – much to the hilarity of my colleagues! Additionally, I found I was also slightly longsighted – I could read fine, but I couldn’t pluck my eyebrows! The optometrist was blasé about it, but I was distraught at the prospect of a werewolf mono-brow!! During this time, I also managed to get a stye so I had to go back on the antibiotic drops. I wore the eye-patches at night for about a month, as I didn’t want to risk rubbing my eyes, as they were so dry and sore. All in all, I wasn't able to wear eye make-up for 5 weeks either. My boyfriend was an absolute star; he insisted on playing nurse and applying my drops, eye-patches, washing my hair and generally wrapping me in cotton wool! When I had my 1-month post-op check-up, I was told to use Viscotears, which are a gel instead of a liquid to combat the dryness. These worked like a dream – I could even stop using sunglasses at work! About a week after that, I noticed I could see to pluck my eyebrows again – woo-hoo!! It turned out that the muscles in my eyes had to get used to a whole new way of focussing, so it just took a few weeks for them to adjust. My vision is still stable at 2 lines below 20/20, I haven’t had any problems with night vision (possibly thanks to the Wavefront) and can see brilliantly at all distances. I now would not hesitate to recommend Laser Eye Surgery, but do be aware that things can take a while to settle and you just have to hang in there. Good Luck!!

I attended Optical Express in Belfast for my initial consultation around May 2004. My optician (Anjanette) was excellent - she explained everything thoroughly and clearly and was extremely professional and friendly. I had lasik surgery on 30th July in Newcastle - the staff were great - cant remember any names as was a bit nervous so wasnt really taking things in! - surgeon was brillant (Rodney) and I now have 20/20 vision - thank you to all - it has been the best thing I ever did!!

I had this procedure done on Friday 10th December 2004 - it was my Christmas Present from my partner, I have told him that if I never get another present this has to be the greatest gift he could give me - My Eye Sight Back !!!

I underwent LASEK surgery on 4 November 2004 with Optical Express at their Newcastle clinic. My wife had undergone LASIK surgery 2 years earlier at the same clinic and has perfect eyesight after years of wearing spectacles. I chose to go to Newcastle to have the same surgeon as my wife (Mr Eve) and never felt apprehensive before the operation. Although LASEK is not as instant as LASIK the recovery period is quicker and my own sight is better than I expected. The pre & post operative care provided by Optical Express is excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending this company to anyone else considering laser surgery. I have told many friends of the results/success of my own operation and encouraged them to consider having the surgery themselves. In short I have no regrets and only praise for the staff at OPtical Express.