Optimax

I had my consultation and epi-lasek treatment on the same day, 4/10/04. Customer service does not seem to be at the top of the list of priorities for Optimax, but fortunately I am seeing the benefits of the surgery after 4 days. Not too impressed that I was out of the door within 2 minutes of the procedure ending, with no time to relax and take it easy after a very uncomfortable 20 minutes in the treatment room. I was in agony for the first 48 hours but thankfully have improved since. On my return 3 days later to have the contact lensese removed, again, no customer service whatsoever; no questions about how it went and how I have been feeling. Out popped the lenses, a quick "can you read the top line, yes, your sight is okay for driving and see you in 2 weeks, goodbye". Not impressed!

I had epi lasek on the 24th Feb 05. I was -4.25 and -4.00 with .75 astigmatism in one eye. At the 4 week point I had a check up (in the afternoon) and both eyes were -.75 and if I squinted I was just within the driving limit. I also had clouding and the Dr perscribed steroid eyedrops. What I cannot understand is; after a good nights sleep in the morning my vision appears to be 20/20, and sharp as a button, but this quickly deteriorates (within an hour) to barely driving standard. I expected this to improve over time and with the eye drops. It is now coming up to 7 weeks post op point, and I have seen no real improvement. I understand that it takes the eyes nearly six months to settle, but I am now becoming quite concerned at the lack of improvement. Moreover, why is my vision so clear first thing in the morning? I am due to see the optician this Friday but can honestly say that there has been little if any improvement and I am not hopeful. Has anyone had similar problems or will I have to go under the laser again!

I am now being treated by optimax who have taken over the clinic in Belfast, due to time constraints I have had to fly the Liverpool to get the re-treatment carried out. But im just glad im geeting it done for a reasonable price.

well, things have gone downhill for me since the last time i made an entry here earlier this month.I went for a review a couple of days ago and was told that my eyesight has now deteriorated to -2.5 in right eye and -1.75 in the left.Imagine the dissapointment!They gave me some eye drops to use for 3 weeks, apparently these are mearnt to stop the deterioration.So i had to take a trip down to my optician who confirmed the above reading and so its back to glasses for me from next week.I wont lie, i am gutted to say the least, i had been telling everyone about the treatment but now some are not so sure after the experience i am now going through. In conclusion, this treatment is not for everyone but it does work for a lot of people.Hey, even after 2years of research, things have gone this way for me but i went into this prepared, but i havent given up yet, maybe in a year's time...and oh, did i mention that i have been getting serious migraines lately...they said its from being short-sighted, nevermind just thought i should share this with you.

Helen - I am with you in your message. I had LASIK surgery at the Advanced Laser Eye Surgery in Edinburgh in January 2003. The surgery did work and I did have 20/20 vision but I now fear that I am going to have to get glasses/contacts again because my eye sight has deteriorated again. Very upsetting as I thought I had thrown the glasses away for good! The surgery closed in Edinburgh a couple of years ago so I can't even get back to them to discuss! Just wanted to let you know that I am with you on the disappointment - if it had been cheaper then it would have been worth it for three years without glasses, but at just under £2,000 I am not so sure now.

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.

I had femtosecond Lasik surgery last Thursday at the Croydon branch. To be honest I'm quite disappointed as my vision is till not 100%. I know it does have a tendancy to fluctuate and it is still very early days, but everyone that has had the femtosecond seems to have 20/20 vision next day - is there anyone who has had any problems? My eyes are very blurry and I have good days and bad - I've been told I'm at driving standard, but I feel I'm not as I can't see number plates clearly and don't have the confidence to and I've been driving 12 years. If anyone has had the femtosecond Lasik, please let me know how you got on!

My consultation was on 14th November at the Birmingham clinic. Mr Masilamani (a man of few words) recommended that I went for femtosecond (laser cut flap) LASIK with Wavefront. I asked a number of questions and the surgeon replied by telling me he would get me 20/20 vision or better with no anticipated problems. I even asked if I would be able to return to work in a couple of days, even though I had a week's annual leave booked after the proposed op date, and he confirmed that this was a very real possibility. Especially with femtosecond and Wavefront. So, after a few days to think things over I confirmed my provisional booking for 20th November. I was kept waiting for 2.5 hours on the day and nothing has happened the way I was told it would in terms of recovery. Over 2 weeks later I am struggling to drive at night because of lights etc, have read that it can take time but my problem is with the fact that I was told there would be no side effects for me and it would immediately be the best thing I ever did. The surgeon was completely silent during the op so I had to quietly work out what he was doing for myself, I couldn't see 3 feet in front of me for the first 3 days because of fluid, which was apparently most unexpected, I am still struggling in dimly lit rooms (both naturally and artificially lit), driving at night is avoided if possible (it goes dark before 4pm at the moment!) etc etc. No doubt it will all improve as I have now been reassured (and i'll somehow struggle through the winter months without driving too much at night) but I have a big problem with the communication from the surgeon. Sorry to unload this on the forum where so many are immediately pleased with their results, but if you're thinking of getting the op done please please please do your research before going ahead. That said - all the best... I feel a bit better after that. Thanks!!

Optimax, Birmingham I have to warn anyone that is considering having laser eye surgery not to go into the process lightly! I really didn't think about what having laser surgery would involve until the day I turned up at the clinic, I really wish I had considered it more than I did. Before I had laser eye surgery my prescription was -4.5 and -4.75 and I also had astigmatism. I researched laser eye surgery on the internet and decided that as Optimax seemed to be the cheapest, I would go with them-not the best way to decide the fate of your eyesight. I made the appointment for about 6 weeks time and then didn’t really think about it. A few days before the treatment I had to remove my lenses for a few days and wear my glasses. I had booked a few days off work and arranged for my parents to drive me to the clinic in Birmingham. On the day of the treatment I started to get a bit nervous but I was determined to go and get it done as I had booked the time off work. When I arrived I had my eyes checked by someone who appeared to be a receptionist and then went in to see the ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist put a anaesthetic drops in my eyes and did a few tests on them to see if I was suitable. I was beginning to wish I wasn’t suitable as the whole process was making me nervous, but unfortunately I was eligible! He said I could have Lasek or Lasek so I opted for Lasek as it was cheaper and has a better recovery rate, although I was warned it was more painful. I then had to go into the reception area and set up my direct debit form. I had brought along all the appropriate ID, along with my bank statements as proof that I had a regular salary. The girl seemed to get flustered when trying to sort this out and even said that she couldn’t set it up as I had no money going into my account, I ended up having to point on the statement to where money goes in and out. When you’re feeling nervous this kind of thing doesn’t help. When they eventually called me into the room to get my eyes lasered, I was really nervous. Instead of reassuring me, the ophthalmologist threatened to only do one eye-I’m not sure how this would help my nerves! The receptionist/administrator/nurse then went through the drugs that I would be taking away with me; I’m not sure why they bothered doing this as I wouldn’t be able to see for at least 24 hours. It was then time….I was put in a dentist type chair and told to lay back, my left eye had anaesthetic put in it and was clamped open. It was really uncomfortable to have the clamp on and it actually hurt my eye socket. The actually lasering part went very quickly and apart from the last 15 seconds when it feels like it is far too close to your eye, it isn’t too scary. The worst thing is knowing that it has to happen again in your right eye. This seemed more painful than the left; I’m not convinced he put enough of the drops in. When they had finished the procedure I sat up and was surprised how clear my vision was-maybe it was worth it after all! I went into the waiting room, grabbed my parents and got into the car (luckily I wasn’t driving). Although my eyesight was great and I could see really well, I had a feeling of impending doom at the bottom of my stomach….. …and then it came. When the pain came it was really bad. I’m not going to lie because I believe anyone considering Epi-Lasek should know how bad it really is. I was in the car crying in pain, it was so bad that my parents even considered driving me to A&E. They decided that it would be best for me to spend the 2 hour journey asleep and gave me one of the sleeping tablets that had been provided in my bag. After around an hour of absolute agony, I managed to fall asleep. When I finally got home my parents had to lead me in the house and put me on the sofa. I spent the next few hours going from absolute agony into sedated sleep. My parents had to turn every light in the house off and even blow out a candle as, despite having my eyes shut with eye shields on, the light hurt my eyes. When I finally got to bed my parents gave me more tablets and I managed to sleep. The next day when the light started coming through the blinds, the agony started again. I spent the next day on the sofa begging my parents for more pain killers, I couldn’t even listen to the radio as everything annoyed me. My parents were trying to put my eye drops in and my eyes were so swollen they couldn’t get even one drop in. They are both nurses and were concerned that my eyes may get infected so they decided to call Optimax. When they called up they were adamant that all my symptoms were normal and told me to keep trying to put the drops in. That night I had a terrible night sleep and as I hadn’t seen anything for nearly 2 days, I was starting to get paranoid. My Dad called up the clinic again and managed to speak to someone that knew what they were talking about. He mentioned that I could be having a bad reaction to the contact lens bandage in my eye and for me to go back to Birmingham and get it removed. Finally I would be free of pain!! I got in the car straight away and went to Optimax. The ophthalmologist I saw this time was much nicer than the one that had done my surgery and as soon as he took the lens out, the pain went. Over the next week my sight got much better and I now have 20/20 vision. Would I recommend it to a friend? Well not Epi-lasek, no. I have heard that Lasik is much better, but then I heard that Lasek wasn’t that bad, and I thought it was awful.

HI I AM LOOKING FOR SOME REASSURANCE. I HAD CK AT MANCHESTER 9 DAYS AGO AND AT THE MOMENT MY SIGHT IS WORSE.MY LONG SIGHT WAS PERFECT BUT NOW EVERYTHING IS BLURRED, IT HAS AFFECTED EVERY PART OF MY LIFE TO SUDDENLY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE CLEARLY. I AM SO UPSET AND FRIGHTENED I HAVE DONE THE WRONG THING, MY CONSULTATION LAST WEEK WAS NO HELP, SO I HAVE MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT FOR A WEEKS TIME. FIRSTLY HAS ANYONE HAD THIS. ALSO IS IT REVERSABLE, I WANT MY SIGHT BACK!!!!