Optimax

Hiya!I had my eyes epi-lasered last Thursday by Dr Islam at the Finchley Clinic. Procedure was very quick, staff were very friendly and did not feel rushed at all. Dr Islam was very professionsal and helped myself and my friend feel very comfortable. really relaxed atmosphere in treatment room. Following 24 hours uncomfortable, but tolerable. they give you painkillers and eyedrops and sleeping pills. Day after, eyes still a bit runny, and couldnt keep them open longet than 10mins at a time. The next morning I had bandage lenses out and had eyes open all day, and was able to potter about London with sunglasses on without too much hassle.It is now 4 days after and my eyes have no pain. Left eye feels alot better, right eye not noticed any difference yet but apparently takes a few weeks to stabilise. I feel generally happy so far. I have my aftercare appointment next week so will report back then. Dr Islam highly recommended though.

THOUGHT I WOULD BETTER ADD MY COMMENTS AS SHARON HAS SAID I PROBABLY WILL! I HAD EPI LASIK DONE AT BRISTOL ON 24TH JULY BY DR MUNDASAD WHO I MUST SAY IS ONE OF THE NICEST MEN I HAVE EVER MET. HE MADE ME FEEL TOTALLY RELAXED AS I WAS EXTREMELY NERVOUS, ARRIVING AT THE CLINIC ARMED WITH RELAXANT DRUGS PRESCRIBED BY MY DOCTOR. dR MUNDASAD ASSURED ME I WOULD NOT NEED THEM. hE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT THE WHOLE PROCEDURE WAS COMPLETELY PAIN LESS AND VERY QUICK. DR MUNDASAD TALKED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCEDURE AND I FELT COMPLETELY RELAXED. YOU LEAVE THE CLINIC A FEW MINS LATER WITH SLEEPING TABLETS AND EYE DROPS AND A HUGE PAIR OF PLASTIC LENSES TAPED TO YOU FACE!!THESE CAN CAN BE REMOVED AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS. i WILL BE HONEST , THE PAIN I EXPERIENCED THE NEXT 24 WAS TERRIBEL. mY EYES AND NOSE WERE STREAMING AND I COUL NOT OPEN MY EYES AT ALL MY HUSBAND HAD TO FORCE THEM OPEN TO PUT DROPSIN. iWAS ALSO QUITE SICK THAT NIGHT AND FAINTED, iTHINK HALF SCARED THAT I WOULD NEVER OPEN MY EYES AGAIN AND HALF RELIEF THAT IT WAS OVER. i SLEPT WWELL THOUGH AND THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON I FELT MUCH BETTER, ALTHOUGH EYES STILL VERY LIGHT SENSITIVE AND WATERY. bANDAGE LENSES CAME OUT 4 DAYS LATER, MY EYES WERE TESTED AND DRIVING STANDARD (ABLE TO READ 3RD LINE UP FROM BOTTOM). hAD ANOTHER CHECK ABOUT 10 DAYS LATER NO PRESCRIPTION ON RIGHT EYE AND SLIGHT SHORT AT-.075 IN LEFT EYE. i WAS GIVEN STEROID DROPS TO TRY AND IMPROVE LEFT EYE AND I HAVE JUST HAD ANOTHER CHECK UP AND I HAVE PERFECT VISION!!! ABLE TO READ THE BOTTOM LINE WITH MY RIGHT AND SECOND LINE UP WITH MY RIGHT. MY EYES FEEL SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT USING CONTACT LENSES, THEY ALWAYS FELT SO TIRED. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS TREATMENT HIGHLY ENOUGH. THANK YOU DR MUNDASAD, THANK YOU SHARON FOR SHARING THE 2 FOR 1 OFFER WITH ME. OH BEFORE I FORGET, THE RECEPTIONIST AT BRISTOL NEEDS TO CHEER UP AND MAKE THE PATIENTS FEEL MORE WELCOME- SMILING HELPS.

I had laser eye surgery yesterday at Optimax in Newcastle. I have to say the whole experience was excellent. After the treatment I had a real burning sensation which lasted about four hours. I can only compare it to a similar feeling of tear gas or pepper spray - although I had never had that either. Today I feel fantastic and I would say my eyes are about 95% correct with a little gritty feeling occasionally only in one eye. They said this could last weeks so I am very grateful. The staff, doctor and procedure were excellent. If you are having any doubts go to an open day - some due shortly.

I was VERY short sighted until I went to Optimax 3months ago and had EpiLasik treatment done. Now I have 20/20 vision thanks to them. I am ecstatic with the result. I now need someone else to pay me £500 to also have this treatment done as I have paid for 2 people in the "2 for 1" deal that they had running. Please contact me on 07981 537 376 for further info.

had epi-lasik done on 16/10/2004 12pm to correct my mildish shortsight problem. Got home about 1pm, pain kicked in about 3pm lasted about 4 hours, yes it was painful but not severe pain. I felt ok after that 4 hour period but was unable to open my eyes unless everything was pitch black, (I used eyemask over my sunglasses for the journey home and throughtout that day this helped stopped me rubbing/poking my eyes but also allowed all the tears that kept coming out). Next day no pain but very tired still so just slept. Tuesday evening 19/10/2004 could start to see the results and was able to pickout small letters/characters from a distance although general vision slightly blurred. So now friday evening small improvements day by day but still room for improvement that hopefully will come. Overall prefer my vision now to how it was.

I am giving this 5 stars as the result and the aftercare has been wonderful, but I have to say I would give only 2 stars for customer care prior to the surgery. My story is this: I had consultation with Dr Patel @ Finchley Road back in August, for proposed bilateral LASIK surgery. Found the initial customer service at the clinic very average and the topography consultation very quick with nothing explained. The actual consultation with Dr Patel consisted of a thorough eye test. He didn't chat much and didn't make any eye contact which left me feeling like it was an impersonal service, just another conveyor belt treatment. Also, he gave me some advice in response to a question and I later read on Ultralase's forum that it was very poor advice. Basically, if Optimax tell you it's ok to wear swimming goggles in the shower, this is NOT good advice as the pressure in the eye-cups can build up and dislodge the corneal flaps!! My surgery was booked for 5 Oct, but Optimax cancelled. They rebooked for 1 Nov. Guess what? They cancelled it again!! I was furious & complained. They told me they would send me a complaint logging form. It never arrived! Then I found this website & found some worrying stories which raised a question mark over my surgeon. I asked Optimax to provide me with a patient's telephone number who had used my surgeon. They gave me a name and number but after 2 weeks of calling I could not make contact. I asked for another patient. They promised to callback. They didn't!! I emailed Finchley Road. They did not respond. I'm sure you'll agree this does not instill any confidence & makes a patient question their decision. After a couple of further calls to Optimax Cust Svcs I heard stuff which reassured me. Dr Patel has performed more laser surgeries than any other surgeon. Also, on the cosmetic makeover TV series "10 years younger" Dr Patel is the surgeon used for all laser eye treatements. I was also told, if Dr Patel's name comes up more than other surgeons on these forums it's because he has done far more surgeries than anyone else, and people are quicker to complain than to praise. All of these things reassured me that I had made the right decision and I was 97% confident I was in very capable hands. Such a shame that the Cust Svc and admin side let Optimax down. My surgery was yesterday. Everyone was very kind and Dr Patel was lovely. He made eye contact with me as soon as I entered the operating theatre and welcomed me by my first name. He spoke to me throughout the surgery explaining what he was doing and asked me several times how I was doing. He was wonderful. The actual procedure was more uncomfortable than I'd expected but definitely NOT painful. My left eye was lasered for 60 secs, my right for 64 secs. What is NOT very pleasant is the smell of the eye burning during laser treatment! I also found the process easier to cope with if I thought of something else while it was going on. My advice to people is DEFINITELY take DARK sunglasses even if when you're leaving the clinic it is dark outside. You'll need the dark sunglasses for just sitting in a lit room. You'll want to keep your eyes closed a lot of the time. Straight after the surgery I had milky but sharp vision. Kind of like looking through a net curtain. For the first hour I had no reaction & coped brilliantly. I stayed at the Quality Hampstead Hotel just a 2 minute walk from Optimax. This was the best thing that could have happened, as after 1 hour, my eyes began to water and felt quite gritty. They were a little painful and I was very uncomfortable. If I had been travelling home when this happened I would not have coped. I had taken decongestant medication earlier and therefore I was unable to take painkillers on top. In hindsight I should have left off the decongestant & simply allowed for use of painkillers. Mind you, the unpleasantness only lasted 1 hour and when I administered my first dose of drops, it all subsided and within a couple of hours the milky vision cleared and I was amazed at the results. I couldn't get on with the eyes shields for sleeping so chose to keep my dark glasses on in bed securing them with tape. Much easier. This morning I could see amazing results. Vision felt a little unbalanced but as the day has gone on it's feeling loads better. The aftercare consultation this morning which was only 19 hours after surgery proved that I have almost 20/20 vision!! Amazing since I was -7 L & -7.25 R (from memory!). I have been able to leave off the dark glasses most of the time indoors however, for watching TV and using the computer I keep them on. I also keep them on outside to guard against dust & grit. I am thrilled with the results, thrilled with Dr Patel (thank you SO much!!), and thrilled with the aftercare. I recommend anyone to have this treatment. It's £1700 well spent. Please email me at fizzybangpop@hotmail.com if anyone has questions or comments.

Went to Optimax, Leeds last Saturday 6th November, what a roller coaster of emotions, I was so nervous. We arrived an hour early, saw the street sign 'Headway' and parked on a meter, which was about £2 for five hours, (if I remember correctly, cheap on a Saturday). We literally walked across the road and found Optimax, so a little further along (west) found the Cafe Nero and it allowed smoking, managed to force a sandwich down and waited. I had been to the Docs previously to get something to take to calm me down, he gave me Diazepam 2mg 12 tablets, decided not to take one yet, incase they said I couldn't have it done. Anyway, consultation at 1.30pm, £60 the receptionist took me into a room for the usual type of eye tests, etc., checked my pressures, I read a notice on the wall, saying you shouldn't have had a coffee or cigarette within the last twenty minutes for this, so thought I better tell her, she said it didn't matter really. Then Dr. Ilango called me in, (his photo on the Optimax site does not do him any favours, he wasn't nearly so frightening to look at). His handshake was a bit pathetic, which didn't boost my confidence any. He gave me loads of time, I sat there with a great long paper full of questions, He asked if I had already made up my mind, I told him yes, and that I had researched it for a few months and been on the forums etc. He said, I would need reading glasses straight away, which I already knew, I wore them with my contact lenses, when in bad light, he put some drops in and checked my pupil size and the thickness of epilithium, said my eyes were fine and I could go ahead that afternoon, I asked if my tear quality was ok and he said yes, he only had three including me to laser. Went to the desk and filled out all the forms again, could have done without that, my hands were beginning to shake by this time, they had already sent me all those in the post, but apparently all had to be dated that day, gave them a cheque for £90 and signed direct debit for £90 per month for next 10 months, Epi-Lasek is on offer for November @ £495.00 per eye, instead of £595.00. They photocopied my passport, recent bank statement and gas bill. Think that all took about 1 hour, maybe just over. Then we went out, for another coffee, I decided to take a Diazepam, even though the nurse -Katy I had spoken to, told me I wouldn't need it, she had the Epi-Lasek done last year and said she was fine. After about 20 minutes and a couple of fags, I really did feel slightly calmer. Took a breath freshener and went back to Optimax. 3.15 ish pm. Heart thumping, knees turned to jelly, stomach churning (Diazepam wasn't working), we sat in the waiting room with another two couples, the nurse brought us all bag of goodies, antibiotic eye drops, refresher tear drops, pain killers, sleeping tablets and instructions (no spectacles or eye pads to wear at night like at Ultralase), a few minutes later, the nurse, Katy called me, I walked in and laid on like a dentist chair fully reclined, after putting bath cap on my head and on each shoe, the doctor put anaesthetic drops in my eyes, then patch over left eye, then put on the eye clamp, I couldn't even feel it, I asked him if he had put it on, it felt cold, but comfortable, my eye never tried to blink, he then put in more drops - the alcohol that softens the epilithium and I was aware he was touching the eye, it was like seeing under water then he told me to look at the red light as he swung this camera like thing over my head, it was like looking at red bar of electric fire, not bright at all, it was round with blurry bits in it, it made some crackling noises quietly and I smelt a burning smell, like burning hair, but couldn't feel a thing, he swilled eye with saline, and then put on a clear bandage contact lens (apparently to help with the pain later) took clamp off (all took about 30 seconds) and then he asked if alright to go ahead with other eye, I couldn't even believe he had done it, it was so quick, so same again with the left eye. I stood up and came out feeling a bit queasy, think it was the smell, walked back into waiting room, hanging on to the nurse, Katy, (who had held my hand all the way through and talked to me), all eyes were upon me. I couldn't help smiling, I was elated and told them all you don't feel a thing it's fantastic. Karl said I was in there 9 minutes, then the nurse brought me water and pain killers, as she said it would sting half an hour later when the drops wore off, we went out to the car, already I could see more than before, got straight on mobile, rang all the family, put the seat into recline and waited for the pain, yes it did sting, it was like the worst burning shampoo in my eyes. Got home, Karl led me into the house and plonked me on the settee, tears just streamed down my face, he made me a cup of tea and a sandwich, , which I had great difficulty swallowing because I was so blocked up, took 3 soluble Disprin Extras, went straight to bed, eyes and nose streaming, was very cold, couldn't get warm and my teeth started to chatter, in the end, I got up and felt my way to the bathroom, to run a bath, haven't a clue what the time was, just couldn't open my eyes even for a second, had quick bath, also found the Vicks Sinex to unblock my nose then straight back in to bed, must have dozed off, Karl came in and had to prize eyes open to put drops in, drops can't have done much good as the tears were still pouring, he threw another duvet over me this felt really heavy and eventually I got to sleep, never took the sleeping tablets they had given me, woke up a couple of times, then in the morning I managed to open left eye a fraction and could see it was light, thank goodness, it had seemed like the longest night of my life, eyes all gunged up. Slowly set about just dabbing with cotton wool and saline, got them open then put drops in, left eye just sore, but could see quite clearly, the right eye was very sore and red and I couldn't open it properly, I think if I had been with Ultralase they would have taken the lens out that day, anyway follow up appointment was Tuesday at 2pm, had a constant headache all Sunday and Monday, left eye was doing really well and quite comfortable, but the right eye was very, very sore and the eyelid was a bit swollen, every now and then it stung even more and I would blink as much as I could, then it would settle down again, so when on Monday it was still like this, I realised there was something behind that contact lens, but I daren't take it out myself, so I stuck it out - thinking just another day, I should have rung and told them on Monday, had it just been nearby in Hull, we would have just gone anyway, finally 2pm Tuesday came and the Doctor put anaesthetic drops in and took the lenses out, he said the pain would come back when drops wore off, but it never came back like before, it was just a dull sore ache, I was right, there had been something behind that lens, I think it was the tiniest bit of burned epilithium, that had stayed attached, I felt it pull when he took the lens out. At last, a good nights sleep. Wednesday 10th Nov. Right eye was open, swelling gone and felt so much better, vision about 3/4 the strength of the left eye, which is pretty sharp now. Thursday 11th Nov. Vision of right eye almost up to the left and I got in the car and drove to my parents, felt a bit nervy for some reason, I have never driven without contact lenses or specs and it just felt weird, I want to tell everyone I have had my eyes lasered, even the girl on the till in Tesco, who was wearing specs. Friday 12th Nov. Right Eye still feels slightly gritty, like a contact lens at the end of the day. Left eye is hardly noticeable, but this is quite normal, find I feel a lot better outside in the fresh air, the refresher drops, that am keeping in the fridge feel lovely. I can pick out the bricks on the back wall today with my right eye Another check up in two weeks, then they will refer me to an optician in Hull (wouldn't tell me which one, must be top secret). This will have paid for itself inside three years, with the money I was forking out for lenses, solutions, etc. Pain and fear all worth it. Back to work on monday.

I had Epi Lasik treatment by Dr Shah at the Manchester clinic on 5th November 2004 I was impressed that Dr Shah thoroughly talked me through the proceedure, explaining what type of sight I could expect to gain, as I had a very small prescription. I was advised to seriously consider my options, I actually got the impression that Dr shah was trying to put me off the treatment, but found this reassuring that Optimax wasn't just after my money - to be honest, I was on such a high about getting my eyes done that day, that I had already decided that I would proceed. Before the treatment, my main concern was how I would cope with wearing the contact bandage lenses. This was because I had tried lenses in the past and could not cope with the sensation of wearing them The treatment was very quick and painless. The bandage lenses were put in without me even realising! About twenty minutes after leaving the clinic my eye-lids felt so heavy that I had to close my eyes. I was not able to open my eyes until I returned to the clinic three days later, this was the most frightening aspect of the whole process, and altough I had been warned that this may happen, had not expected my eyes to be closed for the whole weekend! After the bandage lenses were removed, I found that my eyes were very light sensitive, watering in bright light. I would advise anybody to get decent sunglasses before treatment to help with this and to anticipate the sensitivity to unexpected light even on dull days. It is wonderful to be able to see without my glasses and would recommend anybody to proceed with this treatment.

What an amazing experience!!! I dont frighten easily but have to admit I was a little concerned about the treatment. Anyway I did it and I can put my hand on my heart and tell you it is the best thing ever. I had my final check up earlier this year and have got better that 20/20. All I can say is it worth every single penny I paid. No pain either, what a result. Worst thing was no make up for 3 weeks after!!! Good luck to anyone considering this operation. Go for it and enjoy better vision. xxx

I had epi-lasik on both my eyes at the beginning of Septmeber at Optimax in Manchester. Yes, it was painful and it took a week for me to see properly. I was two days in bed with my eyes closed. Optimax had explained about all these problems that I experienced, so I knew what to expect. I followed all their advice and didn't expect too much too soon. Needless to say, it's now been 3 months and my vision is excellent. I still get dry eyes at night, but that's getting better too. Optimax were very friendly, helpful and professional throughout. They are monitoring my eyes on a regular basis, not at set time periods, but when my eyes need it. I find that level of care excellent. If you arn't the sort of person who expects miracles within 5 minutes, then it is well worth it. Just how much do you hate wearing glasses? No pain- no gain