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Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Tips

08-05-2006, 12:35 PM	#1
Senior Researcher   Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,845	This thread is specifically to discuss Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting To report your tips and experiences: click reply To discuss contact lenses: click here To read the Contact Lens and Laser Eye Surgery Cost Cutting Article: click here Last edited by MSE Researcher; 16-06-2010 at 10:41 AM.

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08-05-2006, 1:43 PM
Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The South West Posts: 405	I was quoted £2,500 for both eyes, but then received 20% discount as my sister worked for one of their partners. It's really worth checking out the partners bit with Ultralase! Last edited by bluejosiah; 08-05-2006 at 1:46 PM.

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10-05-2006, 12:19 PM
MoneySaving Newbie   Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	I am having a consultation with optical express on 12/5/06 which is free and the price starts from £395 per eye? I'll keep you informed of progress and service. Well Ive had the consultation and it was excellent, I've opted for mono vision which means I wont have to wear reading glasses! This is only recommended for people who have worn contacts like this for some time. My Wife however could not have surgery as her eyes were beyond the limits that optical express will operate. They say they are very cautious off not operating where they consider the results will not be satisfactory. The cost for me will be £665 per eye however as the £395 price is only for very minor correction. They were very professional, courteous and the opposite to pushy? Actually asking after each test and explanation if you were happy and wanting to go ahead. Will keep you informed, operation booked for 10/7/06 Last edited by patrick cavanagh; 15-05-2006 at 5:42 PM.

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10-05-2006, 2:49 PM
Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 76	This is a re-post of my first post in another thread on this subject. I've had a quick look through the posts, and they all seem pretty positive, but I would advise you to think again - THERE CAN BE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS! I know, because I had the operation and have complications that have been the bane of my life for over 10 years now. I've not checked recently, but the USA, home of cosmetic surgery, would not allow this operation because they regarded it as too risky. Admittedly safety has improved, but at the expense of people like myself. Do you fancy paying to be a medical guinea pig? Look at the complications listed on www.lasermyeye.org. In Feb '05, why did Which?, publish an article saying: "Two well-respected clinics that do divulge details have told us that about 5 per cent of people who undergo Lasik treatment experience complications."? This means if you have both eyes done, you have a 1 in 10 chance of having complications! I hope I'm not infringing copyright by quoting the Which? conclusion. --------------- "Laser eye surgery is a great development but it's not risk free. Our research shows that some clinics aren't giving patients the information they need to make informed choices. We want the government to enforce the tougher standards recommended by the parliamentary inquiry. And we'd like all clinics to publish details of their complication rates, with information monitored by an independent body. We also want sanctions, to deter clinics from giving misleading advice or unsuitable treatment. Until then, patients must protect themselves. Always ask for the surgeon's track record and whether there's anything in your medical history that makes you unsuitable for laser treatment." ------------------- I wouldn't put much store in the a positive answer from the last quesion. From dealing with some of the top UK eye surgeons over the last 10 years, my opinion is that the unfortunate minority that have complications are considered a price the surgeons are willing to pay to exploit this great 'once-in-a-lifetime' moneymaking oportunity placed in front of a previously academic group of experts. I read one poster on this board talk about insurance. If you're considering having this operation, ask the company how much their insurance premiums are increasing year on year. Premiums are going through the roof because of claims. You can get many enthusiastic recommendations from people who have had successful operations, and are very happy with the results. To my mind, this is like asking someone who's survived a game of Russian Roulette if the game is safe, and getting the answer 'Yes, look at me, I played and I survived!'. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. - to see the old post and the subsequent discussion, go to : http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=89895&page=4 "Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie Which we ascribe to Heaven" - All's well that ends well (I.1)

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10-05-2006, 2:51 PM
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: On the road less travelled Posts: 2,583	I have been contemplating this but am sooo scared that something will go wrong. And it if does it will happen to me I am going to hunt around for a good deal and get a consultation done and then consider. I miss my free from glasses wearing days. I will keep an eye on this thread for offers. All it takes for evil to succeed is for a good man to do nothing!

10-05-2006, 3:04 PM
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: On the road less travelled Posts: 2,583	Quote: Originally Posted by johnfrith This is a re-post of my first post in another thread on this subject. I've had a quick look through the posts, and they all seem pretty positive, but I would advise you to think again - THERE CAN BE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS! I know, because I had the operation and have complications that have been the bane of my life for over 10 years now. I've not checked recently, but the USA, home of cosmetic surgery, would not allow this operation because they regarded it as too risky. Admittedly safety has improved, but at the expense of people like myself. Do you fancy paying to be a medical guinea pig? Look at the complications listed on www.lasermyeye.org. In Feb '05, why did Which?, publish an article saying: "Two well-respected clinics that do divulge details have told us that about 5 per cent of people who undergo Lasik treatment experience complications."? This means if you have both eyes done, you have a 1 in 10 chance of having complications! I hope I'm not infringing copyright by quoting the Which? conclusion. --------------- "Laser eye surgery is a great development but it's not risk free. Our research shows that some clinics aren't giving patients the information they need to make informed choices. We want the government to enforce the tougher standards recommended by the parliamentary inquiry. And we'd like all clinics to publish details of their complication rates, with information monitored by an independent body. We also want sanctions, to deter clinics from giving misleading advice or unsuitable treatment. Until then, patients must protect themselves. Always ask for the surgeon's track record and whether there's anything in your medical history that makes you unsuitable for laser treatment." ------------------- I wouldn't put much store in the a positive answer from the last quesion. From dealing with some of the top UK eye surgeons over the last 10 years, my opinion is that the unfortunate minority that have complications are considered a price the surgeons are willing to pay to exploit this great 'once-in-a-lifetime' moneymaking oportunity placed in front of a previously academic group of experts. I read one poster on this board talk about insurance. If you're considering having this operation, ask the company how much their insurance premiums are increasing year on year. Premiums are going through the roof because of claims. You can get many enthusiastic recommendations from people who have had successful operations, and are very happy with the results. To my mind, this is like asking someone who's survived a game of Russian Roulette if the game is safe, and getting the answer 'Yes, look at me, I played and I survived!'. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. - to see the old post and the subsequent discussion, go to : http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=89895&page=4 Thanky ou for this post, I was considering having it done in the USA as my cousin who was as blind as a bat had hers done and she is living a new life without glasses and contacts. But yes there will always be a risk involved that has to be considered. All it takes for evil to succeed is for a good man to do nothing!

10-05-2006, 3:36 PM
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 31	I can't preach enough about the new Ortho-K scheme i'm on... ITS GREAT!!!!! I was considering laser treatment as i was so fed up of wearing glasses for the past 10 years and my eyesight is pretty awful without. I had gone to many consultations with various companies... Optimax, Centre for Sight etc. They had all said that i would need to wait until my prescription had stop changing over a 2 year period otherwise the laser treatment would be pointless, so fair enough i waited. In the meantime my other half was watching TV one day when he came across an article on Ortho-K. As some of you might be aware or maybe not.. it is a process of wearing hard gas permeable lenses will you sleep ONLY which reshape your eyes. Put them in at night take them out in the morning and hey presto 20:20 vision all throughout the day without wearing a thing!! They are also in the process of developing fixing lotions so you can put them in for a night or two and have perfect vision for a few months at a time!! Check it out.... http://www.orthoklenses.com/ Price for consultation cost me £100 and then all I pay is £35 a month which isn't too much more than normal contact lenses and believe me its well worth it!!! They call me Mr Pig!

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11-05-2006, 11:03 AM
MoneySaving Newbie   Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 9	Following tips on the chat forum I investigated laser surgery on E-Bay and was fortunate to find that Optimax were offering treatment on both eyes for £795. The listing on E-Bay is packed with useful questions from potential customers and direct and honest replies from the Optimax M.D. Russell Ambrose. I trawled through the hundreds of feedback comments from customers who had pursued laser treatment and found that extremely useful when making my mind up. I was also influenced by a friend who was treated very sucessfully by Optimax in Liverpool last year. I booked a consultation in Bristol but was thrown off-balance when I was told that I was unsuitable for the posh/quick Lasik treatment but could have epi-lasek treatment; more painful in recovery and takes longer to achieve the final result. I had a -5.5 in one eye and -6.0 in the other and really felt that I wanted to go ahead so had epi-lasek 3 weeks ago. The op was painless but the recovery was unbelievably painful, I was in sheer agony for 24 hours, I couldn't open my eyes and just lay in a darkened room. Once the pain eased it was replaced by discomfort and within 48 hours the eyes felt a bit gritty but not painful. I was able to drive within 7 days and experienced a significant improvement in my sight on a daily basis during the first week however it will be 3-6 months before the final result is known as the eyes are still healing. I opted to have an add-on to the basic surgery called Wavefront which was an extra £150 per eye. the total cost of treatment was £1095. I was very pleased with the cost of treatment, I was very pleased with the Doctor who did the treatment I was very impressed by the customer service on the national helpline but I am sorry to say that the customer service and care at the Bristol Branch was appalling. Optimax may pile high and sell cheap but I found the process of having an operation on my eyes quite traumatic. I would have happily paid more to have been given an efficient, professional and courteous service by the staff at the clinic. I was sent home unable to open my eyes with a plastic bag full of medication and an A4 sheet of instructions. Some of the medicines were not labelled and it involved a lengthy process of elimination (during which time I was screaming for pain relief) for someone to work out which drugs were which and how and when they were to be administered. I must stress that I felt complete confidence in the Doctor who did the the operation and the operation proceedure was superb. I was warned by the Doctor both at consultaion and treatment that I would experience extreme pain. She was very honest and told me it would be very bad but she also told me that I would get through it. I was prepared for pain and was acutely aware of the risks of the operation and the potential side effects. You have to demonstrate an understanding of all the risks and potential problems on more than one occasion and are required to do a 'test' (tick boxes) before the operation to prove that you understand. At any time you can change your mind and are never under any pressure to go through with it. You are never sold the benefits of laser treatment by anyone at the clinic. The corporate 'marketing' is just to get you to the clinic once you are there you are on your own in terms of deciding whether laser surgery is right for you. Optimax provide you with the facts and the expertise and leave it to you to decide. ps: Optimax have a complaints proceedure which I will be using to bring thier attention to failings at the Bristol clinic.

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12-05-2006, 6:49 PM
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1,703	Quote: Originally Posted by alexjohnson 1. r eyes burned out in some horrible frak accident. Complications tend to take three forms: increased dryness of the eyes, which may be temporary anyway; increased sensitivity to bright light; and "star bursts" around light making it difficult to drive at night. I seriously was going to have mine done until I did some research. And its these complications that worry me. If you get star bursts then not being able to drive at night or even see properly at night I would consider quite a big problem!¬ Already my eyes are naturally sensitive to bright light so I wouldn't want to make them worse by surgery. I also I have floaters. Apparently this surgery can cause floaters, so I wouldn't want anymore. Another thing I found out through talking to people who have had it done is that you lose your good close up vision. My work depends greatly on this so I could not afford to lose this. Yes I could have glasses for long sight but what what be the point of fixing one problem and causing many others. This is still a relatively new form of surgery and the long term effects (ie 25 years - 50 years down the line) are not yet known Maybe people have not been totally blinded but there have been some nasty accidents where people have had their eyesight seriously damaged and would rather be wearing glasses and turning back the clock. One case I read about was about the machine that cuts the hinge flap on your eye before the lasering actually jammed and cut the womans eye! I also don't think that trying to save money on operations such as this is a good idea. You only have one pair of eyes. I would pay for the best money can get if you do have it done. Last edited by MiserlyMartin; 12-05-2006 at 6:54 PM.

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12-05-2006, 10:55 PM
MoneySaving Newbie   Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5	Laser eye surgery in Turkey. I have just returned after having the lasik Customised (wavefront T-cat, Q-mode) with intralase. The surgery in the eye Hospital was pain free and i could see a great improvement straight after surgery. my eyes were a bit sensitive to light but after wearing sunglasses were okay. I took advantage of a free eye test in this Country bit the starting price of £395 per eye jumped to £1000 per eye without the Intralase. Now probably £1250. In Turkey i paid a total of £825 for the better painless treatment and would not hesitate to do it again if i had to. I will be doing a more detailed story with the information that i have available at a later date for anyone that is interested

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18-05-2006, 12:46 PM
Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 76	Quote: Originally Posted by alexjohnson Your maths could use some work. 5% of people does not equal one in ten - note they said people not eyes. Good point, Ok so 1 in 20 people have complications. But as I said, this is ELECTIVE surgery, not buying a consumer product. If there was a consumer product on sale with a 1 in 20 chance of damaging your health, there would be public outrage. With tobacco, multinational companies defending their product for years for profit reasons. With laser surgery, a lot of the top eye surgeons are making a mint from running laser surgery's on the side, which is why they are turning a 'blind eye' to the complications. Quote: Originally Posted by alexjohnson You are right to point out there can be complications. But here's another staistic for you: 0% of those complications have led to blindness. None, zero, nada. No one has had their eyes burned out in some horrible frak accident. <snip> How many of those 5% had what a common man would understand to be a "complication"? I'll bet it's a very small number. I'm not suggesting that all the 5% regret the operation, but the companies that do laser operations are very backward in coming forward when it comes to statistics about complications. If you're thinking of having the operation, ask the company to provide you with the information. I think NICE has recently required them to keep this information, because they are concerned. Oh, and be carefull, 'cause if the operation enables you to see better, but messes up your life completely (as has happened to me), the operation is categorised as 'successful, with minor complications'. While you're at it, ask them how much their insurance premium is, and by what percentage it's gone up over the last five years, as more and more people sue. Have a look at http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1139 I think this person regrets having the operation. I certainly regret having the operation. "Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie Which we ascribe to Heaven" - All's well that ends well (I.1)

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18-05-2006, 1:03 PM
Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 42	When making the decision to have any surgery whatsoever, you have to look at all the risks. No surgery is without risk. Research all aspects and make your decision from there. One of the problems with any surgery is that you hear mainly about the things that have gone wrong as these overide all that is good. Talk to people who have had the surgery and take into account what they all have to say. Do not forget, that just because laser eye surgery is classed as 'cosmetic' it still is surgery and so 'medical'. The choice to have the laser eye surgery was the right one for me and I do recommended it but it has to be right for you........could you cope if things do not go as planned? Is wearing lenses or glasses that bad? Good Luck with making the decision that is right for you!

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26-05-2006, 7:18 PM
Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,785	Quote: Originally Posted by hechizero There is a lot of scare mongering about and I am sure there are cases where the result has not been as expected. I has LASIK for myopia in 1997 and it was miraclulous then and to this day I still have good vision. If you are going in for a straight forward procedure you will be fine. I must admit, I know 5 people who've had it done, all with different clinics, and all of them have been 100% delighted with it. None of them have had even slight problems, and even my dad, who's in his 80s, has had laser cataract surgery done recently using a similar procedure, and his sight's better than mine! One day ...

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