What our Patients say

I have just had my initial assessment with Vik at Accuvision. I found the service I got there superb, Vik was very honest, straight to the point but also understood that this is a huge decision (my sight is -8 and -8,5 and I am only 25) to make and appeared very compassionate. The technology they use is very impressive and the tests they perform very thorough. Apparently my case falls in the 20% or so patients that they treat who are ‘untreatable’ elsewhere. In fact, Vic was so confident of the quality of the treatment at Accuvision that he challenged me to go elsewhere and assess the treatment in other clinics. I am going to take him up on this offer, and will report back when I have seen other clinics…At the moment, I am very satisfied with Accuvision, although they a little more expensive, based on the knowledgeable staff, technology used and general feel of the place, I would go with them…but we shall wait and see

Review by Andy – Posted on 7/2/2003 – Rating Not Applicable
I had my consultation a week ago, and my surgery is booked for a week today. My left eye is -9.75, and my right is -3.00 with an astigmatism of -4.5. Given how rubbish my eyes are, and having had a consultation elsewhere for comparison, I’m happy paying a premium for Accuvison thoroughness. Vikash checked everything, including a measurement of my pupils, and corneal thickness around the edge of my astigmatic eye, not just the centre. Darius’s interest and input throughout also gave me confidence. All the risks were explained, and no pressure applied. I just hope I’ll be giving 5 stars in a couple of weeks time!

hello I am interested in undergoing the accuwave lasik procedure and would be interested in any comments from people that have specifically had this method of treatment. Also any prices as the official site for Accuvision seems to less than open and upfront about prices- thank you

Just a quick update. I had my eyes done early December 02. After going back for my 6 month check last week, i cannot stress enough how good the staff are. They still remembered me and the problems i experienced and were concerned for me still.
(I would like to just clarify that the problem was servere bruising to my eyes, but that it is completley gone & there are no negative effects from this).

You only have one pair of eyes – trust them to Accuvision…

My son, recently turned 19, had always been severely short-sighted with astigmatism, and even as a toddler often had to wear thick glasses with patches over one eye in an attempt to strengthen his weaker eye. The only way he could read was with things directly in front of his face, and it was too much of a strain to read books. He has suffered many knock backs with his eyes over the years, the latest being having to give up driving lessons after failing the sight test. I was advised that Scott`s sight might never be good enough to drive. He had been waiting for months to see the eye specialist at the local hospital without success, when my brother rang and told me about an advertisement he had seen for `Accuvision`, who could treat patients that others could not, and I contacted them immediately. Before travelling 800 miles from Shetland to London I was worried with all the set backs that Scott had experienced that this might be just another waste of time, so tried to get as much information as possible from the internet, and decided to speak to `Moorfields` eye hospital. They informed me that with my sons` prescription the very best result that we could expect would be -5. I felt disillusioned on hearing this, but spoke to `Accuvison` once more who assured me that if Scott were suitable for treatment, they would expect a far better result than -5.

The consultation went very well, and Scott had the surgery the following day, 3 July 2003. I don`t think words can describe the elation I felt when the surgeon gave the thumbs up sign and described how well the surgery had gone. Scott’s` right eye is now -0.50 and left eye is -1. He thinks that it is wonderful to wake up and see things, and to be able to read normally. Although for driving he will wear glasses of a very small prescription, that`s a small price to pay. After watching him struggle for so many years it really does seem miraculous.

I would like to conclude that Scott & I found Accuvision to be a great team of helpful friendly competent people who are quite justified in exuding such confidence in their ability, when they are able to produce such amazing results. True experts in their field. We really cannot thank them enough. I am already saving up for my daughter who is also shortsighted and would like to have surgery at Accuvision.

I was very impressed with the results. I didn’t expect a near 20/20 vision. The team was very proffessional and made me feel relaxed. A very special thanks to everyone at Accuvision especially Nick Dash who gave me the Consultation, Will Ayliffe who corrected my eye sight and a special thanks to Vikash Patel who made me feel so relaxed and confident throughout my visits.Well done! I would recommend Accuvision to anyone.!!

I had Lasik surgery at Accuvision on Thursday, 29th May 2003. Previously I had worn glasses for circa 40 years.

Pre-op. my prescription was:
Right Eye: Sphere (-8.50), Cylinder (-2.50), Axis (5).
Left Eye: Sphere (-8.00), Cylinder (-1.50), Axis 180).

About a year prior to surgery, I’d met someone at work who had a similar prescription to mine & had had laser surgery. He was positive about the process & it set me thinking.

I searched on the Internet & found several sites & found this one the most useful.

After some further pondering, I decided to proceed & the choice came down to Moorfields or Accuvision. The positive feedback patients reported from Accuvision tipped the balance in their favour.

Beyond short sight & astigmatism, I recall no particular features needing special treatment. The cost was £4k. It was suggested that I would have good enough vision for everyday life, but that I might need reading glasses for small print.

The procedure was not painful. As others have mentioned, it is a little uncomfortable for a couple of minutes, but no more than that. It took only a few minutes & I went home after a post op check some 30 minutes after surgery. I took the eye drops as prescribed & spent the rest of the day with eyes closed & listening to the radio. By the following day, I was able to see well & with no complications.

My sight is 20/20 & I have had no problems of any sort throughout. I’ve attended the daily, weekly, monthly & quarterly checks – all of which have confirmed that the sight is stable. There have been no complications or discomfort of any sort.

All the staff at Accuvision that I have dealt with have been helpful. They have been straightforward in their dealings with me & I don’t feel they over-promise – certainly my experience has been most positive.

The recovery process has been something of a non-event for me, with no problems experienced. To date I have not needed reading glasses for even fine print & have experienced no problems in poor light (which a few have commented on). I’ve found it surprisingly easy to get used to not wearing glasses. The psychological benefit took a little longer to kick in – all of it positive, all of it beneficial.

I would recommend Accuvision. If my experience is anything to go by, it should be hassle free & positive all the way through the process. It is money well spent to reclaim your sight.

Martin Spelling

I had surgery at Accuvision around three and half weeks ago. My prescription was around -7 in both eyes, with some astigmatism and very thin corneas. I was terribly disappointed to be turned down by Optimax about two years ago, because of this combination of high prescription and thin corneas.

When I first saw the advert for Accuvision and how it could treat cases that other places couldn’t, I was initially a bit sceptical. It was only by idly surfng the net one day, that I came across this website and saw all the rave reviews that people had given to Accuvision. This convinced me to give them a call. At my consultation, which was very thorough, I was told that they could treat me, but I was only just eligible, because of my thin corneas. However, because of the more advanced laser technology they were able to leave more than the recommended corneal thickness. They informed me that they couldn’t guarantee that I would have perfect sight after surgery, but there was a chance that I might have some some mild refraction and need glasses occasionally. I was never put under any pressure whatsoever.

I decided to have the surgery (£4K) and went ahead with it two weeks later. The actual surgery was stressful, but painfree. They explain exactly what to expect during the procedure, which definately helped. For the first 5-6 hours after surgery, my eyes were watering so much that I couldn’t open them at all. They were also prickling like crazy. The next day, my eyes were rather red and swollen, but my vision was perfect. I seemed to experience more post-operative discomfort than most people, because for the first 5 days after

surgery my eyes were very dry, itchy and uncomfortable and the liquid tears didn’t help alleviate it at all. I found that previously, I couldn’t wear contact lenses for more than a few hours at a time, because my eyes started feeling really dry, so this probably made me more susceptical to it. However, just as I was beginning to despair and wonder if I’d done the right thing, my eyes suddenly started feeling a lot better. They now feel totally normal and when I had my check up after the first week, I was told that my eyes had healed well, I wouldn’t need glasses at all and I had 20:20 vision. They also gave me some gel tears which were more effective for me than the liquid tears.

I feel that I definately made the right decision to have laser surgery at Accuvision. My vision is fab. my eyes feel totally normal now and it has given me a whole new lease of life. I still find myself reaching for my glasses out of habit or feeling that I need to take my lenses out before going to sleep. I’ve also found that it’s great to be able to go away and not have to pack alll the parathenalia associated with wearing glassses and contact lenses. I’m very grateful to Accuvision. No regrets at all.

Whilst researching Lasik, I came across this website and it was largely due to the positive comments about Accuvision that I decided to have my -6 and -4 eyes corrected by Wavefront Guided Lasik last Thursday. It’s all true – these guys are undoubtedly the best!!

I had a look at Boots at Bluewater as well but although their technology looks impressive, I felt the consultation was very ‘production line’, and my questions were really rushed through.

The procedure is unpleasant and stressful, I was surprised to find the eye clamps going in was actually the worst bit. The suction and cutting of the flap did not hurt at all. Afterwards I went home and laid in a darkened room with my eyes closed for the rest of the day (a practical tip – I bought one of those talking books which really helped to pass the time).
On my next day check up my right eye was 20/15!! Every day now I’m finding my eyes are getting clearer and less sore, everything is in much sharper focus than I ever got with glasses or contacts.
Accuvision may be expensive but it is definitely worth every penny. Everyone is highly professional. If I had to make one tiny suggestion (and I’m struggling to find one) it would be a thoughtful touch if, after the procedure, in the bag you are given containing your drops and eyeshields, that a small box of medical tissues was included? I asked for a few tissues when leaving and was given a whole box of medical tissues, they have been invaluable since for moping up streaming eyes, excess drops, and now cleaning eyes? I am much happier to use these than I would be using regular tissues.

I will be wholeheartedly recommending Accuvision in the future.

Having been tempted by laser eye surgery for well over a decade I decided to take the plunge and see if my eyes were suitable. After reading the positive comments on this web site I decided to have a consultation with Accuvision and another clinic where a colleague had been treated. I was much more impressed with the team at Accuvision who spent longer with me, explained the procedure and possible consequences in detail and answered all my questions.

I then decided to find out more for myself about the different types of laser and their advantages. There is lots of information on the internet – some of the best sites are those for eye professionals such as Eurotimes, Ophthalmology Times and Review of Ophthalmology. Here you can find out about the clinical trials carried out by eye surgeons around the world who have been using the Allegretto flying spot laser which Accuvision use since 2001 and what they thought of this latest technology. In clinical trials more than 50% of patients actually gained one or two lines of best corrected vision ie. were able to see better post Lasik than they did when their vision was corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Surgeons were impressed by the accuracy and speed of the laser and one commented that his results were the best ever experienced with any laser.

I also found studies by surgeons comparing broad beam with flying spot or scanning lasers and they all concluded that superior and more accurate results were achieved with flying spot lasers and that they would eventually become the industry standard.

The key points that I discovered about Allegretto were these :-

The energy profile is Gaussian rather than the top hat or flat profile used in older broad beam lasers. This Gaussian profile creates a smoother corneal surface and takes away less corneal tissue per diopter of correction which means the visual recovery time is faster, there will be less aberrations (ie.night vision problems and loss of contrast sensitivity) and no risk of corneal ectasia.

The narrow beam at 0.95mm is an advantage because it gives the surgeon the ability to customise the ablation (tissue removal) profile both according to ablation zone diameter ie. to match your dilated pupil size and also to vary the ablation zone to address pre-existing irregular corneal shape.

Unlike other lasers, Allegretto is designed to produce a prolate (closer to the normal shaped cornea) rather than an oblate profile which lessens the possibility of any night vision problems or loss of crispness of vision.

The laser is extremely fast which means that the surface of the tissue does not get a chance to dry out which would cause problems with healing and possibly affect the end result of your surgery and is coupled with a closed loop tracking system with a very fast response time.

Obviously the team operating the laser are just as important and I felt confident that the staff at Accuvision were highly competent and had been achieving good results.

So now to the important bit – the end result. I wore glasses from the age of 8 to 18 – remember those snazzy NHS frames with the wire ends that curled around your ears – and then hard gas permeable contact lenses for the next 21 years. My prescription was -9.00 and -3.75 which made it very difficult to tolerate wearing glasses because of the difference in image size in each eye. You have to stop wearing contact lenses before having a consultation and treatment to allow the eyes to return to their natural shape. I had assessments at 3 and 6 weeks out of gas permeable contact lenses and was then advised that this was long enough out of lenses to proceed with treatment but the length of time will vary from person to person.

I had non wavefront guided Lasik treatment on 17 February at a cost of £3600. I believe that the cost of treatment at Accuvision varies from £3000 up to £5000. The procedure was very quick and completely painless and certainly nothing to worry about. I had slight soreness about 2 hours later which disappeared almost immediately. I had to wear bandage soft contact lenses for 48 hours to help keep my corneal flaps in position as they were hinged from the bottom of the eye rather than the top. This meant that I had very foggy vision for 24 hours and needed to be accompanied to the first check up. As soon as the contact lenses were removed my vision improved and continued to clear slowly. On the second day I spent a little time working on a computer which made my vision mistier and my eyes were quite tired so I would suggest if you work a lot with computers you might need to take several days off work.

My eyes have felt a little dry but no more than when wearing contact lenses if that is what you are used to.

My prescription was -9.00 and -3.75. At the first day check up my vision was tested and found to be 20/20 . The initial reading for my prescription was -1.00 and -0.25. This may well change as my vision stabilises over the next three months but even at this level I am absolutely delighted.

My vision is now BETTER than it was with both glasses and rigid contact lenses.

My two major worries about having Lasik surgery were loss of crispness of vision which definitely had NOT happened and night vision. I am experiencing some minor haze around street lamps at night but this may well clear up in the next few weeks and my night vision is clearer now than when wearing rigid contact lenses which always cause their wearers problems at night with glare and starbursts from artificial light sources.

I was also worried about the corneal thickness that would be left in my right eye and the risk of ectasia. The industry standard is not to go below 250 microns but Accuvision state they will not go below 300 microns and I was left with 323 microns which I am very happy with. Other lasers could also have achieved the same end result but would have taken away more tissue. The team actually confirm that the microkeratome has cut the correct flap thickness before proceeding with treatment as an extra safeguard.

So, for me it was definitely the right decision to go ahead and have Lasik surgery but I am NOT advocating that everyone rush out and have it done. Results are not predictable and there are many people out there who have ended up with worse vision than they started with and in some cases are no longer able to work. Some bad results are due to the patient eg. your cornea could form scar tissue through no fault of the surgeon but other problems are arising because of lack of expertise/knowledge and in some cases treating patients who are not suitable.

One of the reasons I chose to use Accuvision was because around 30% of their patients have been turned away from other clinics who refuse to treat them because they are viewed as being difficult cases with a lower chance of obtaining a satisfactory result eg. high prescriptions, thin corneas.

If you are interested in having Lasik performed I would say that you must research the subject thoroughly, spend a long time considering the pros and cons and find a clinic with the ideal combination of expert staff using the best possible technology. That is what I firmly believe I found at Accuvision and I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Thanks to all the team

Fiona Collier