Optimax

Had my first check up yesterday, was told I had 20/20 vision and the eyes were healing very well, the whole experience of LASEK went very well for me

After much deliberating over the epiflap surgery, i was finally convinced to go for it after the birth of my son. At 4 months the floor was wearing my glasses more than me! My consultation was on July 25th 2003 and i went staright in for the surgery afterwards as did my mother. I can honestley say i felt no pain or discomfort during the procedure, afterwards both my eyes and my mothers were weepy and quite light sensitive. I took 2 painkillers and went to bed. Our consultant recommended the contact lense bandages - these made our eyes feel quite gritty, but upon removal everything was very clear and the dry eye feeling soon disappeared. All in all its the best thing we've ever done, and a big thank you to all the staff at Birmingham Optimax for your help and guidance!

Both eyes -2.50 I went to the Leeds branch on the 21st of July for bi-lateral lasek its the best thing I have ever done, Dr Samuel is fantastic he went through everything very slowly and explained all the risks and recovery period making sure I had understood. I have been waiting to post anything on the web site until I had my monthly check up. Just had it on the 26th of Auguts 20/20 vision. I had the contact lenses put in so help ease the pain because I am a wimp you dont have to have these it does mean going back 3 days after surgery but hey anything to lessen what ever the pain might be, the day I had it done I followed the instructions and took the pain killers 1/2 hour after having the treament , I was very sensitive to light on the way home and was glad my partner came with me to drive me home no real pain though just a dull ache. I got home and went straight to bed hwere it was dark and quiet, my eyes started to water quite badly at this stage and continued to do so for the next 36 hours I ensured I took the sleeping tablets and I had an excellent nights sleep. Thursday after I travelled back and had the lenses out and at that stage I had driving standard vision. Still sensitive to light though. But it was sunny so I could use sunglasses without gettiong any strange looks. I got quite a few a week later when it was very overcast and started to rain and I still kept them on. The sensitivity to light went on for a couple of weeks but by the end of the week my eyes in general were fine although for the first 2 weeks I struggled to do to much work on the PC, but I was warned about this. The glare seemed to hurt my eyes they also had a tendancy to feel tired quicker at the end of some days my vision was a bit bulrred but again all these things had been explained so I didn't feel the need to panic. The longer recovery period suited me fine as the risks are less than that of Lasik, would recomend any one to go to the Leeds clinic. Dr Samuel is fantastic I ended up at Leeds because they couldn't fit me at Manchester which was nearer but I am so glad I went there, all the staff are very good and very efficient. All my appointments were on time I just wish I had gone a month later then I could have got it cheaper as I could have gone with some one else and got the 2 for 1 offer.

Had epiflap (LASEK) on both eyes on 26/8/03 at Manchester. Consultation, treatment & aftercare very good. The consultant explained everything to me beforehand and told me I was suitable and that I could go ahead with treatment straight away. I opted to have both eyes done at the same time. I had read up about the treatment and so was aware of what the consultant was doing and he also talked me through it. The treatment was very quick and painless and I was not given bandage lenses. This may be why I suffered terrible pain for 2 days - although my eyes did not water and I felt no grittiness etc. On the 3rd day I awoke and looked over to the alarm clock - I could see the figures as plain as anything. No pain, just really really tired - a bit like getting over a bad dose of flu. It's now day 6 and I am back at work. I can use the VDU but it is very tiring. My mid vision and close vision seems fine and my distance vision is improving everyday. My check up is in 4 days and I hope that I will be given the all clear.

Following LASEK treatment at Manchester optimax on both eyes it is now 10 days later. As stated previously I had a lot of pain but feel wonderful now. I'd say it took a good 5 days to feel myself again. I have no haze, went back to work after 6 days, can watch TV and am driving again. I'm even attending my taekwondo lessons (making sure i take it easy). My eyesight seems to be improving every day and my eyes feel fine - although I do get tired easily when on the VDU or driving. I am due to have a check-up tomorrow to see how everything is. I hope everything is OK and I don't have to go back to Optimax for a few months. Here's to going swimming in a few weeks and actually being able to see where I'm going and not just see blurred blobs.

Had Lasek at the Belfast Clinic on both eyes on 02.09.03. Everything I was told was true, ie no pain etc etc however it was quite wierd as you could obviously SEE what was going on. Bandage contact lenses were a bit of a nightmare as I had tried contact lenses about 8 years ago and they did not work for me. Had a consultation on 05.09.03 and bandages not ready to come off. Thankfully off on 09.09.03 and I feel fantastic. Quality of vision comes and goes but I am confident that it will settle in the 2-4 weeks. Staff were efficient and the coffee is good. Go on let Tracey sort you out!

Had Lasek treatment at new Southampton clinic on 5th September. Both eyes were -3.00 and had slight astigmatism. Staff helpful and on all appointments i was seen on time. Treated by Alex Theodoris who was very reassuring and put me at ease by talking through each step of the procedure. Couldn't believe how quick it all was, about 35 seconds of laser in each eye. I moved my second eye slightly and the laser stopped and was started again but this was not a problem. one eye was fully bandaged (no bandage contacts were used) and the other had a plastic shield on for some visability. given sleeping tablets, pain killers, eye drops and sent home. I had made my following aftercare appointment before the treatment and this was a good idea because afterwards i couldn't see clearly and probably would of forgot anyway. Drive home (not by me!!!!!) was about 45 minutes and after about 30 minutes eyes started to ache and water a lot. got straight into bed and rested. Husband had to give medication as i could not read all the instructions (although they had explained all at the clinic i didn't remember the times) just wanted to take sleeping tablet as the pain was bad and i hoped it wouldn't last up to 4 days i have heard about. Next day rested but still couldnt see much, very light sensitive but not in pain. Scary point came on Sunday morning when my four year old daughter came home after being shipped of to nannas for two nights. lying in bed next to me she stretched out and accidently punched me straight in the left eye! my automatic scream sent her screaming as well! however it was fine and no pain just a bit sore. By Sunday evening watching telly as i was so bored by not being able to drive or read. It was a bit blurry but a lot clearer than it used to be without my glasses or contacts. I found that when I wanted to rest my eyes the best thing I found was a soft eye mask I had from an airline care kit, it was so handy for a couple of days especially went lying down. I think optimax could really minimize discomfort by providing something like this. On Monday afternoon Optimax phoned up to check how I was getting on, and it was one of the girls that had been in the treatment room which i thought was good aftercare. Each day vision gets clearer and clearer didnt need anymore pain killers than those given to me by clinic but may be a good idea to have some handy just incase because you are only given a couple of days worth. Felt fine to drive but waited just in case for my first check up which was a week later on Friday 12th. Saw Mr Theodoris for aftercare which i was pleased about because sometimes it is not with the person who did the treatment. Vision up to driving standard and was told that over next two weeks will have 20/20 what a great result. Have to go back in two months time and will give results then. Compared to what other clinics are charging i am so glad that i chose optimax. I hope my account puts people at ease because i am the worst when it comes to pain and nearly talked myself out of it a hundred times. I am so glad I didn't.

I had my bilateral Epiflap surgery on 13th Sep at the Optimax Finchley Rd clinic (-1.5 (L), -1.25 (R) plus astigmatism in both eyes). So far my experiences are very positive, exactly what I was expecting. It offers one of the cheapest options in the market so don't expect a red carpet treatment but in my case there were no delays, I was dealt with quickly and efficiently. If anything they are a little short on the information front so ensure you research everything properly beforehand and have your questions ready and I would advice to have visited at least one more clinic for a consultation (the expensive ones offer it free) as a comparison. Optimax is a perfect option for people who want an in and out service (whatever you do do NOT be late there) ideally with no complex medical history. The consultation with Dr Almasari who treated me was, like everything else, quick and efficient. The treatment was pain free and lasted around 15min (the actual timing of the laser was 23 sec for each eye!) Once the anaestetic drops wore off (ab. 1 hr) the pain really started to kick in and lasted until the next morning. Despite all the odds try to have a few hours sleep as in my case it helped enourmously. I opted to have the bandage contact lenses as apparently the eyes heal more evenly then. The removal of the lenses 3 days later was not painful at all as stated in a few sources. After four days I have almost 20/20 vision if slightly longsighted still. I notice a slight improvement every day although it does take time. The other thing I noticed was that the pain and visual sensations are different in both eyes, eg. my left eye was much more painful than the right and I think it is healing more slowly as well (don't know why). I have another checkup in a weeks time so will send another update. Generally thumbs up for Optimax, the lower price has nothing to do with the quality of the actual treatment I don't think, maybe just the aftercare but then again you do get what you pay for!

Had bilateral epiflap on 13th September at the Southampton clinic. My prescription was -2.75 in right eye, -2.5 in left. I found the staff in Southampton very helpful. My operation was performed by Dr Ayoubi, who took great care to explain everything carefully beforehand, giving me the chance to decide whether to have one or both eyes done and even to back out altogether if I got cold feet. My topography appointment was officially 2 hours before my laser appointment, but as the clinic weren't busy on the day, they gave me the option of going straight in for the surgery which I chose to do. Dr Ayoubi was great - he explained exactly what was happening every step of the way, and was very calming and reassuring - praising me for keeping still and telling me I'd done well. It may sound corny, but it's little things like that which really help you panicking at the time! The procedure was all over very quickly - I was in there for about 15-20 minutes total. The anaesthetic wore off after about 25 minutes - just after I arrived home. My eyes started to water like mad and it felt like chopping very strong onions - more discomfort than pain. After another 1/2 hour I just wanted to go to bed and sleep, so I took my sleeping pills and tried to sleep (surprisingly easy!). Couldn't open my eyes for the next two days (which made putting the ointment in pretty difficult), and like Jane Barnes, I found that a gel eye mask helped soothe things. I was excited when I could open my eyes on Tuesday, had no more discomfort and could see fairly well, and things have just got better ever since. The only downside was the horrible greasy ointment which I had to use for 7 day as it blurred my vision. Stopped using the ointment two days ago, drove to work today and feel great! Would recommend laser surgery, Optimax and Dr Ayoubi to anyone!

Well I had lasik treatment about 4 hours ago from Doctor Hynes at the Manchester clinic. My prescription was -4.5 in both eyes. The procedure itself was much as I expected. It was slightly uncomfortable but certainly not painful in any way shape or form. The smell of burning flesh isn't especially unpleasant and you get a fantastic light show. Once the anaesthetic drops wear off it's a bit painful for a couple of hours, but everything seems fine now and I CAN SEE CLEARLY !! I'll post again after the aftercare appointmnets, but I'm confident that I may even be 20/20 by tomrorrow. Another patient in Manchester today had travelled from Milton Keynes specifically to see Doctor Hynes and I would certainly recommend him to anyone else considering treatment.