Optimax

I've always been conidered to have had severe short sightedness. I always got depressed when my prescription would yet again change in every check up. I always wanted to try laser treatment but put off by my prescription, being over -7.00. I decided after my 30th birthday it was now or never and booked an appointment. I discovered optimax on the internet and so they had excellent feedback. I was told I could have the lasik treatment which I did in march this year. I expected to still need some prescription glasses, and have further treatment. The day of treatment started like this; I got to the clinic at 9.45 am I was brought into the treatment room at 11.30am, the actual procedure was painless but not very comfortable, it took 20 minutes altogether. I was really nervous going in as they say to keep really still but the staff put you at ease. When I went back into the main lounge my vision was misty but I could see about 75%. After 3 hours my site was less misty and was at 90%, my eyes were a bit dry and the drops did make my eyes sting for the first few applications. By 7pm I was in a smoke free pub watching television without any spectacles, it felt great! The best feeling was waking up the next morning after a night's rest and my vision was perfect. It was more than I had ever imagined. I went for my first week check in march and I was told I had 20:20 vision! Having lasik is the best thing I have ever done I just so wished I had it years ago. It has been totally pain free, practically instant vision, it is amazing. For the sake of a 20 minute procedure, its well worth every bit of the money.

Clinic - Bristol Date of treatment - early March 05' I first started needing to use corrective methods for my vision in the spring of 2004 – I was only suffering from mild short sightedness as a result of using VDU's/straining eyes in lecture theatres at Uni etc. I found that I did not like my appearance with glasses, which I also found heavy, despite paying above the odds for a pair of lightweight, frameless specs. I also struggled with the recommended soft monthly contact lenses. This is not directed against the optician who recommended them, but simply that I didn’t have the patience or time to use them as advised. Result of the contact lenses was a series of eye infections due to getting dust in them or not cleaning them thoroughly. I also had big problems putting them into my eye (found them too big) and as I am often on business all day, had to take my lenses out before I’d even got home some days. Not too easy when driving down the motorway (joke – always pulled over into service stations to do this!), but sometimes they could actually fall out in these situations. Over Christmas 2004, I decided to do a bit of research and discussed in with my partner. She wasn’t keen on the option of laser surgery, but was open minded. I dropped the idea for the 1st month of 2005, and then my curiosity led me to look a bit more. I used the usual google/yahoo searches and came up with the Optic shop, who happened to have a branch close to work. Their appointment was with an optician, but was free of charge. So I thought “why not?” and went to book a session…. I was given a card listing all the web sites and this forum. This was my prime source of information and the testimonials from previous patients were good to see. Especially those that were less than complimentary – as this made me aware of the potential downsides to treatment. I my humble opinion, if you go in with your eyes open (sorry for the pun), then you will have realistic expectations of what your outcome will be. I had my Optic shop consultation and they were able to answer all my queries reasonably, although those medical-specific queries were less easily answered. There was no sales-push and all the members of staff were professional and courteous. Be warned – take a very dark pair of specs with you. I had my tests done in early march and was struggling in the sunlight after I left the clinic! Armed with the knowledge that my eyes were suitable, I now wanted a second opinion and was willing to pay to speak to a qualified surgeon. Optimax offered this service at their Bristol clinic and through the forums on this web site, I found a discussion topic on a special offer. By now, I’d decided that epi-Lasek was the way forward for my small-time football career, and their special offer of £595 for both eyes made me look twice! I looked on ebay, and there it was. Rang up Optimax just to check and by the end of the conversation, I’d booked myself in for a consultation, with optional surgery, at that price. On the day (I was called 24hrs in advance to move my appointment forward - which I was able/happy to do), I spent about an hour with the Surgeon discussing the options, the procedure, the potential side-effects and pitfalls. All of this in front of the slightly worried but slightly intrigued girlfriend! Another set of tests were conducted with the optician, a set of consent forms filled in (I’d decided to go ahead with the process) and then a 30 minute wait followed. Next I was called into the surgery and shown the equipment and asked a couple of questions. Next thing I knew, I was on the operating chair (like a dentist’s really) and the op started. I can’t say I enjoyed having the eyes clamped open – especially not the 2nd time round, but the rest of the process is pretty comfortable. I just thought of the fun I was going to have walking the hills and on holiday in a months time…. It took just over 30 seconds per eye for the actual surgery. (YES, it is surgery and it can go wrong…). You get a slight “burnt hair” smell emanating from the eye and it goes blurry, but no pain was felt. As I said before, the 1st eye is a walk in the park, but as you know what to expect by the time the 2nd eye is done…. No pain, but I didn’t enjoy having eye no 2 clamped open! Then the patches are taped on and you are put on the arm of your companion and carted off to the carpark, wondering why all these people outside are staring at you (now I know how people with permanent disfigurement feel – and I chose this). When I got back to the car, I wolfed my “packed lunch” down and drank both bottles of fizzy drink before we left Bristol. Tip – if your helper is not too good with city driving, then do the route beforehand. It’s difficult to give directions when your eyes are closing up! I could actually see at this point, but the “bug mask” taped to my face, and the tears filling it distorted my vision so I couldn’t actually tell if anything had improved. I also couldn’t see where we were going, so the trip home couldn’t finish soon enough! "No pain, no gain" The dark room beckoned, and I didn’t leave it for the next 2 days. I took the painkillers, the painkilling drops and the sleeping tablets on the first night. Not sure if the big glass of house red helped or not, but by 3hours post-surgery, I had a very deep and dull throbbing pain behind my eyes. This lasted until the following evening and although I did sleep a little, I wasn’t the best companion the next day. Even despite my best efforts to alienate the nursing staff, the other half kept up the supply of provisions, cold drinks and sympathy for the patient. By then though, any intrigue she’d had for the process was changed to worry for my very black eyes! By the end of day 2, I’d removed my bandages and could open my eyes again. My vision had actually worsened! I wasn’t too worried about this as the surgeon had explained that this could happen and was part of the healing process. What was weirder was at night, it looked like there was a strong fog – but that was just the starbursting effect going on. By the end of day 5 my eyes were starting to settle down, and this had improved since the contact bandage lenses were taken out (painlessly, to my surprise). The night vision had recovered and my eyes were now coping with long-range targets, but struggling on short-vision and readjusting themselves. The starbursts had gone too and I was safe enough to be back in the car by the end of day 6. By about day 10 this was stabilising itself, and by day 15 my vision was picking up all round. From day 3 onwards, the improvement was rapid and striking. Tip - Optimax told me to make sure I had five days clear of obligations, and seven free of driving. This needs to be heeded for epi-Lasek, and it’s a good idea to budget for more. From a fairly prescription of –1.75 and –2.25 I’d gone to -0.00 and +0.25. Maybe not perfect vision by the rulebook, but one that I am really happy with. My hope was to go back to driving standard and not to have to rely on my glasses/contacts to watch the cricket with. My hopes have been exceeded by far! I had the surgery done in mid March of this year, and it’s now the start of June. I have just come back from Australia where I’ve been camping in the outback, diving the reef, out drinking round the clock in smoky bars etc. and the only slight problem I've had was on the outbound flight, where I suffered from dryness of the eyes. My tear drops helped that and it was a small price to pay for being able to see the coral and turtles on the reef! If I was back at square one, then I’d do exactly the same. Find out as much as I can about the procedure. Talk to as many people as possible who’ve had it done/perform the ops. I would certainly recommend having two consultations too – this put my mind at rest if nothing else, as the answers were not dramatically different and both sets of companies pointed out the pitfalls as well as the advantages. I can recommend the Bristol branch of Optimax, their well qualified surgical staff (long NHS record in opthalmics) and the admin staff, although do remember that one person’s golden result may be another person’s bitter disappointment. Get as much info beforehand and make a realistic/informed judgement. This has given me a new lease of life (it feels like that anyway) and I am now able to play football/go to the gym and actually see the opposition/television screen. I also don’t have the hassle of lenses, solutions and a constant struggle every morning to put these in. The cost of the surgery will have repaid itself in less than three years too. In Hindsight then: As far as I’m concerned, this is the best money I’ve spent on healthcare or anything else for that matter (and I've just got back from a 2nd visit to Australia), as it’s an investment in my health, confidence and well-being. I hope my reasons/checks/experience will help others to make their own minds up. Viewing this website is probably one of the best ways of doing so and should be recommended by all providers of eye surgery (Optimax did not point me in this direction, but the Optical Shop did).

Well its over and done with now I am 10 days down the line and what can I say apart from "miracle". I went for my treatment at 3.00 on the Friday afternoon, after eye tests, consent forms etc I was taken at 4.00 and by 4.30 it was done. The procedure was a little unconfortable but hey we face this EVERY time we go to the dentist. By 9pm that night the light sensitivity had worn off and my eyes were a little "nippy" however I was able to see. I went back to the clinic the following morning at 9.30 and Dr Anwar confirmed that I had 20/20 vision. It was still a little blurred but he did say it would get better. I was back on Saturday for my week check up and he confirmed that I am actually better than 20/20 vision. What a result. I cannot believe the difference this has made, to wake up and see!!!! I only had discomfort for approximately 4 hours and that was it. If you are considering Lasik please look into it and if you are suitable go for it it certainly changes your life.

I had my eyes done at the Manchester Clinic in 1995. It was a very new procedure and I was a little nervous, but I needn't have been. I have had no problems at all in the ten years since they were done.My daughter has recently been to the same clinic and she is really pleased with the result.

Had epi-Lasek for short sight (-4.00 with astigmatism) approx 4 weeks ago. Went in for consultation, had the surgery at about 11.30am. Eyes were very very very (etc) light sensitive for the rest of the day. By the next morning, sensitivity had faded, and only very mild discomfort. I knew someone had been playing around with my eyes, but there was no great pain. By the Saturday, when I had the bandage lenses removed, I was legal to drive. I must say, the 'grittiness' caused by haviing the lenses removed was more uncomfortable than the actual surgery. Still didn't need to use the painkillers though. A week after that, vision was near perfect. To the point where I could read 2 lines further down the eye chart than I could before, with glasses! I can't recommend Optimax enough - the staff are helpful, the surgeon spent a long time going over the pro's and cons, making sure I understood the limitations, and any possible side effects. All in all, a very professional outfit!!

Had Lasik approx 4 weeks ago at the Liverpool clinic.. i dont need to go on about how life changing it is because we all know that life without the "ball and chain" of glasses will be better (at least much more convienient).. So i will enclose the text of an email that i sent to friends a few days after the op.. Excuse the colourful language, have the op and you will agree with every word :-) PS im now 20/20 and looking forward to going swimming (you have to wait four weeks) this wednesday :-) ************ Hey all Eye zapping was a success. There was a few points I would like to comment about though. Point 1 - painless operation my ass !! Those clamps and suction things were REALLY uncomfortable.. Felt like me eye was going to pop out and bounce round the room Point 2 - Slight discomfort in recoving, b*ll*x !! REALLY BAD smarting eyes last night.. It felt like I had REALLY REALLY bad hay fever (or that someone had just cut open my eyes and lasered them!!).. Eyes were streaming all evening and i must have produced a full pint of snot !! All gone this morning though, just feel a tiny bit gritty Point 3 - Sisters are evil.. Through my painful evening ordeal all my sis could do was laugh.. And to rub salt in the wounds she tried to take a picture of me in me sleeping goggle things!!! She said it was to "show mum", when we both knew it meant "show everyone".. She did make me tea though.. Point 4 - The SMELL !! eeeerrrruggghhh.. Turned my stomach.. "Burning Lee's Eyeball" is up there with "rotting carcass" and "Abbatoir waste".. My mates even got a wiff of it in the car on the way home !!! Anyway, all's well.. 20/20 in one eye and just slightly under that in the other.. Little bit hazy on close up things but that even seems to improve as the day goes on.. Got loads of drops and have now managed to get some in my eye, and not mainly running down my cheek.. ***************** Theres nothing that you can read or say that will fully convince you that its totally risk free.. You just have to trust the surgeons and cross your fingers.. It did seem very routine and if your suitable then i would definately recommend it.. Lee

My wife had the surgery in the Liverpool Branch just over a month ago. It is the best deal I have ever done. The staff were fantastic and the whole process was focussed on customer satisfaction. I highly recommend this treatment and very highly recommend Optimax Liverpool.

Early treatment in 1995. Superb treatment although some pain for a couple of days. Truly superb sight ever since.

Had the laser surgery 2 weeks ago, but was a bit hesitant at first. My partner had the treatment 6 months ago and the recovery was slow and painful, but with good results. I had discomfort for a couple of hours after the treatment, but the rest was a breeze. Would highly recommend this treatment, my eyesight is now superb after less that 2 weeks, and mostly pain free. Staff at the clinic in Finchley very professional and extremely helpful.

I had lasik and was amazed at how simple it all was. Totally pain free.I have recommended several friends and one of them had it done a few weeks ago. Also the owner Russell Ambrose could not have been more helpful (via ebay emails).I am extremely happy with every aspect of my treatment. HIGHLY RECOMMENED.