Eye Laser Surgery Testimonials

Review by Megan Harris
Posted on 19/12/2008
Rating: 5/5

Thank you to Accuvision for what they have done for me. They were professional and provided excellent, objective advice with regular follow-up consultations. I would recommend considering them as your specialist for Laser Eye Surgery.

Tags: Consultation

Review by EJ Pratt
Posted on 19/12/2008
Rating: 4.75/5

LASIK surgery, bah! TransEPI, luxury! I had the 'full fat' lens replacement surgery via Accuvision instead. That's where you have then lenses inside your eye replaced, under local anaesthetic, with new lenses that correct your vision. It's essentially the same as a cataract operation.

Why this option? I'm in my early 40's and I've been short sighted since I was seven (-6.5 and -4.75) and was starting to get long sighted as well. I really didn't want to get rid of distance vision glasses only to need reading glasses in 12 months time.Unfortunately, it turned out that my corneas are too thin for LASIK, even for Accusivion. I could have taken the TransEPI option, but they would haven't been able to give me monovision. In other words, they could fix my short sightedness but not the oncoming long sightedness. So I took the other option - lens replacement. It isn't cheap (about 5x the price of LASIK), but it was definitely the right option for someone of my age and with thin corneas.

What what was it like?

This was a big decision for me and I was very very nervous in the beginning. I'd read about the possible downsides on the surgeon's Web site, and even though the chances of something going seriously wrong were tiny, it made me worry. I watched videos of the operation on YouTube, which showed how straightforward the operation is. I also talked to a couple of opticians, to see how they reacted, and they were completely blasé. Their attitude was that this operation is carried out every day and is probably more proven than laser surgery.

When I got to the surgery centre (it's in Colindale, not Fulham,) for the operation, suddenly all my worries went away. I was incredibly relaxed.
You start by sitting in a room and they put a few drops in your eye to numb it. I watched about 30 minutes of day time TV whilst this started to work.

I was then taken into the operating theatre. They had warned me the worst bit would be the local anaesthetic injection - that it would be like having one at the dentist. As it turned out it wasn't so bad. You don't feel pain, but it does feel like someone is pressing a finger just under your eye for about 10 seconds. The effect of the anaesthetic is that you can't see anything out of your eye. It feels numb, frozen.

They then check it's numb and put a cloth over your other eye. 10 minutes later it's over. You feel nothing during the operation. I just looked at the blue cloth and visualised pictures of trees and fields.

There are no strange smells either. You do hear a machine that sounds like a short wave radio that's out of tune. That, apparently, is a device that give the surgeon audio feedback on the fluids in your eye. Toward the end of the operation I thought I could see something though my right eye (the new lens must have been in) but I decided to look away and back at my blue cloth.

They tell you they are putting a patch on your eye, and then ask you to sit up. You they are taken to a recovery room, tell you about what to do the following day, and then take you downstairs. You feel a bit soft legged and when you blink under the patch it feels 'gritty'.

I woke up the next morning, and my eye had a lot of 'gunk' around it. I took off the patch, managed to open my eye a bit, and in 5 minutes could open it fully. I could see at distance, but it took half a day to see a shot distance. Although I'd taken the day off, with the help of reading glasses I worked the full day at home. The pupil was still quite dilated, so it takes a few hours for that to revert to normal.

I had the second eye operation a week later. It was slightly worse in that I could see more with my good eye and I just wanted to be under my blue cloth. However, the second time round I experienced no gritty sensation and no gunk.

What's been the outcome?

It's been a week since my second operation. I could see as soon as I took off the second eye patch, but again it took a few hours to be able to focus on the computer screen. It's incredible in less than a week the eye is so well recovered. I now have 20:20 vision and I can read close up as well. There's been no pain apart from two times when my eye has been dry (which required a quick search for tear eye drops)

My eye sight is obviously slightly worse than it was when I was using glasses. With glasses and contact lenses you get 20:15 vision. It's fine for everything at present, apart from night driving - the road signs take a longer time to appear in dark. I reckon it's going to take a month for the brain to adjust and for the eyes to settle fully, but I may choose to get a pair of driving glasses for night time. They'd warned me beforehand that I may have to settle for this. I can drive at night without glasses, so it's not a big issue.

Also, some times focusing between near and far isn't quite a rapid as before, but my brain still needs to get used to my new eyes. However, overall it's brilliant. Being able to see seems very normal. It's dark at present in the mornings, so it doesn't make much of a difference yet when I wake up. It does seem odd being able to fall asleep without having to worry about glasses or contact lenses. I am looking forward to being able to go swimming without all the hassle associated with glasses or contact lenses. I'm also looking forward to be able to camping and not worry about being able to find my glasses in the dark. Overall, it makes you feel more confident.

Why Accuvision?

I chose Accuvison for a number of reasons. One was a personal recommendation by someone who had
LASIK (so did his wife). He'd mentioned that Accuvision had the best machines. Another was the links on the Web site to the independent audits of Accuvision and their competitors. It showed very high success rates, mid range prices and very high customer satisfaction. I wanted a company that had very high success rates, just in case! Also, their DVD was the only one that actually showed the LASIK operation.

My experience at Accuvsion also was very positive. The pre-sales approach was non-pushy and totally focused on determining the best option for me. One of my visits was on a Friday, a day
when they operate and it was amazing to see people turn up in Fulham with glasses, go through a door and appear two minutes later with no glasses. They had their eyes closed, but they'd would
chat quite happily about how easy LASIK was.

The post operation care has been very very good. I'm sure they'd spot the slightest problem early on and that they'd be able to fix it. They seem to make sure every thing is as safe as
possible and there's always a way to fix any potential problems. It seems weird now that I was so worried about it.

LASIK seems a breeze, and my lens replacement operation was easier than going to the dentist.

I'm still getting used to what it means to be able to see, to discover how much glasses and contact lenses were holding me back.

Tags: Intra ocular lenses

Review by Hilary Knight
Posted on 15/12/2008
Rating: 5/5

Had my surgery last month and now have 20/20 vision. The procedure itself is very quick and pain free, of course the vision is 'foggy' for a while but still better than without my contact lenses or glasses. The next morning I could see clearly and every day for the first week vision improves. I would definately recommend the Accuvision clinic to anyone considering this surgery, you won't regret it!