Optimax

I had Epi-Lasek almost 10 years ago. I was advised by my doctor not to go ahead with the procedure as it was relatively new at this point. I took no notice of my doctor and have not regreted it since. It's the best thing I have ever done. I have recommended this treatment to many friends whom all have said the same thing to me. They think it's marvellous. The treatment that I had was painful for 2 days, but you can cope with the pain as they provide all the painkillers you need and the after treatment is excellent too. I felt very well treated. If you are concidering this treatment, I would not hesitate it is well worth it. And the first time that you open your eyes and you can SEE is just a feeling that I won't ever forget. Thank you Optimax.

I had bi-lateral epi-lasek 2 weeks ago at the new Optimax clinic in Belfast. This was an enhancement as I had Lasek done in May 2005 with the Advanced Laser Clinic in Belfast. Unfortunately I was one of the 3-4% that needed retreated after Lasek. I was -3.75 in both eyes a year ago and then regressed to -1.25 & -1.00 and needed glasses again. I was really disappointed that it hadn't work the way I'd hoped and felt I'd wasted my money. After the Advanced Laser Clinic agreed that I needed retreated, they went into liquidation a week later and I had to wait 10 months for Optimax to open as they had taken over the clinic. I had my initial consultation in May and Optimax agreed to re-treat me. I have to say that the staff had a lot of time for me and I never felt rushed or hurried and there wasn't any "Sales Pitch" which I had encountered with the previous company the last time. I was very nervous on the day of my procedure as I knew what to expect but everyone was great and totally professional. Dr Qazi explained what he was doing throughout the procedure which helped calm me. Once the anesthetic drops wore off, I was in pain for a few days just like last time but not as severe and I just kept taking the pills that they gave me and virtually slept for 3days!!I got my bandage contacts taken out on day 4 and on day 5 I could see well enough to drive, which was totally amazing, considering last time it was almost 2 weeks before I could drive. I had a bit of double vision in my left eye last week and when I phoned the Clinic and spoke to Dr Qazi, he offered to see me the same day, which was brilliant. Dr Qazi gave my eyes a thorough examination and advised that this was part of the healing process and not to worry. The double vision cleared up 2 days later!! Although my next aftercare appt is not until July I know myself that I have almost perfect vision, its even better than when I had my glasses!! All in all the Belfast Clinic is excellent and I would have no hesitation in recommending them. A BIG Thankyou to Belfast;-))

I had my Lasik surgery two and a half weeks ago with Dr Pauw in Hull, I must say Hull were just absolutely marvellous, i had previously had a consultation elsewhere and they were very sales orientated and trying to push me in to paying a £200 deposit, where as in hull Becky told me to go away and read the information she gave me ad have a good think about it. In the meantime the other clinic kept on calling me trying to badger me in to paying a deposit which i found very unprofessional. When i went in for my surgery the Hull branch were fabulous. They made me feel at ease totally, the surgery was very scary as i didnt know what to expect, and the only discomfort during was the eye clamp. afterwards i had 4/5 hours of severe pain,i couldnt open my eyes at all,and they were streaming continuously!and felt like there was grit in them.But after those 5 hours it was unbelievable how great i felt! the pain went and my vision was perfect! I can see totally clearly and have had my check up and have perfect viosion! Lazer eye surgery is the best thing i have ever had done and i would highly reccomend it to anyone! I only wish i had had it done years ago! Gone are the glasses and no longer do i have to pull at the skin round my eyes to put in my contact lenses! Reccomend it 200%

Had Lasik at the Finchley Road, London branch with Dr Patel in May 2006. The surgery was uncomfortable but not painful and my recovery was swift. Unfortunatley I still have a significant astigmatism in both eyes and have been advised by Dr Patel I will need retreatment, at least in my left eye. I'll have to wait at least another 4 months before I can have this though. After 3 weeks I'm just at driving standard but are still noticebly short sighted. My eyesight is much improved compared to pre-treatment but as I can currently not wear contact lenses my eyesight feels a lot worse. I'd recommend you only have treatment if you are prepared to live with having eyesight worse than when you wear your glasses or contact lenses.

4 years ago I had a consultation at the Bristol Optimax clinic. I Unfortunately can’t remember the name of the consultant, but I ended up putting in a complaint as he was rude and rushed me. As I was trying to ask questions he stood up and walked backwards to the door. I commented that he seemed busy and he replied yes I have other patients to see. I put in a complaint to Optimax and their customer services were terrible – it took something like 6 months to receive a refund on my consultation fee. I didn’t go ahead with the treatment. I am however looking in to it again at different clinics. I have been advised to check out at least 3 places. I think it is important to feel comfortable with the consultant.

I am considering having treatment at the Manchester Branch of Optimax. Any feedback on the branch, surgeon/doctor, staff, the treatment you had and success/failure would be greatly appreciated.

I had the intralase proceedure using the Femtosecond Laser at Optimax Birmingham on 2/5/06. My Surgeon was Andre Oberholster. My right eye was -2.00 and left -2.75 with astigmatism. I could not see to put nail polish on my toenails without glasses. I booked my appointment via ebay and got a good discount. During my consultation I decided to upgrade and have the intralase proceedure which uses a laser instead of a blade to produce the flap. I found the proceedure itself totally pain free and very fast. There is a smell for about a second or two but I thought it was exactly like the smell when a tooth is being drilled at the dentist. My friend drove me home and I kept my eyes closed for most of the journey. I was quite tired after the proceedure and sat quietly all evening listening to music with my lovely eye shields taped to my face. Although I could read 20/20 the next day on the eye chart I did not get instant clear vision I was blurry for quite a few days. I did feel worried but it is a normal part of the healing proceedure. I have not had starbursts or any bad halo effects (I had holoes before I had intralasik) and I have no problems with dim lighting. I still have a small amount of glare/haze (eg around objects in a window ledge or white script on a black background on the computer)but this is improving and does not cause me any problems. Unfortunately I did have some side effects from the steroid drops which gave me headaches and made me feel very nauseous. I found that the aftercare from Optimax is excellent. I telephoned to say I felt unwell, I was expecting someone to speak to me on the phone but was told to visit the clinic and they would see me straight away. The Optomotrist fully examined my eyes and explained about the side effects I was experiencing and I immediately felt re-assured. The drops do not have to be used for very long and the side effects ended when the drops stopped. Although I did not wake up the next morning with perfect vision my eyesight has continued to improve day by day and I am now just over 3 weeks post surgery and am very pleased with my eyesight and it is still improving! Driving is brilliant and I feel like I can see for miles over the countryside. I knew I would have to wear reading glasses and have enjoyed choosing modern funky frames at little cost (my glasses were £250 minimum a time and I was going into bi-focals). I have had a little bit of dry eye which is to be expected but have found that Systane drops (I got mine from the internet) are excellent. I dont need to use them so often and I dont get any residue on my eyelashes. I can now wear my eye make and look normal! I was expecting bright sunshine to bother me but I have not had any real problems. I wore sunglasses outside for a fortnight to protect my eyes but I can see fine without them and only need them if the sun is really bright(as I did before the surgery). I would recommend Optimax Birmingham. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will post again after my next aftercare appointment. Best wishes, Ann

I HAD THE EPI LASEK PROCEDURE ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT HAVING LASER SURGERY WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE DONE. I AM ONLY 24 NOW SO I CAN HOPEFULLY ENJOY HAVING NO GLASSES FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I WASNT REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT THE PROCEDURE, MORE EXCITED. I WAS AWARE OF ALL THE POSSIBLE THINGS THAT MAY GO WRONG AND HAD SPOKEN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO HAD THE PROCEDURE IN THE PAST. THE PROCEDURE WAS SO QUICK AND THE ONLY THING I WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT AT THAT TIME WAS WALKING OUT OF THE BRISTOL CLINIC WITH THE PLASTIC LENSES OVER THE MY EYES! NO ONE WARNED ABOUT THEM.. BUT THANKFULLY, I THINK PEOPLE IN BRISTOL ARE USED TO IT BY NOW. I DID HAVE PAIN IN ONE EYE ON THE SIXTH DAY AFTER THE LENSES CAME OUT BUT AFTER THAT IT WAS JUST BEING PATIENT. I WAS IN NO RUSH AND KNEW IT WAS GOING TO TAKE TIME TO HEAL. I JUST FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY AND TOOK THE OMEGA 3 VITAMINS I WAS ADVISED WOULD HELP THE HEALING AND A YEAR LATER I HAVENT LOOKED BACK! SO GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY TO ANYONE LOOKING TO HAVE IT DONE!

I had epi laser at Birmingham in January. Cost wise I paid £830 for both eyes and nothing for the consultation because I work for the police. Always ask if you can get a discount and quote every organisation you belong to! The actual operation took 20, I repeat twenty minutes from leaving the reception to getting back!! I couldnt believe how easy it was. I experienced a lot of pain for two days but then pretty much nothing since then. I found it excruciatingly boring laying in a dark room listening to the radio for two days but its worth it, dont strain yourself trying to live normally. Go to bed and stay there with your eyes closed! I occasionally had sore eyes and had to take one day off work because, as they explained, sometimes the eyelid sticks to the eye tearing off some cells. Ouch. However it was only for a couple of hours and keep using the eye drops for months afterwards. Now my vision is as good as it was with glasses and it may even get better. I read a lot and use computer screens all day and I have not experienced any problems with bluring or strain. I would recommend taking at least 10-14 days off work after the operation. I took 7 days off and needed more to feel completely comfortable. I cannot stress how much it changes your life! Decent sunglasses, no more tangled clothing and walking into hot/cold areas doesnt leave you fogged up!

It has now been 6 months since my Lasik Op at Southampton with Dr Ayoubi, and I am very pleased with the results. My eyesight used to be -6.5 and -7.0 with astigmatism. I have just had a post check-up and my eyesight is now 0.0 and -0.25, this is a further improvement from a test in January when it was -0.25 and -0.5. Dr Ayoubi says there is still room for improvement! I would recommend this clinic to anyone, and Dr Ayoubi who is just lovely! The reception staff have gone out of their way to accommodate me into their appointment schedule as I live in Germany, and even fit me in when I have been late! This was the best decision I have ever made. Thank you to everyone, especially Dr Ayoubi, at the Southampton Optimax Clinic.