What our Patients say

My mother blames it on the Mumps she had when I was a mere foetus but whatever the cause I have had terrible eyesight as far back as I can remember, all the photos of me as a kid show the glasses firmly in place. In my early 20s I took to hard contact lenses and in my mid 30s I changed to soft lenses. Now at 50 the technology is at long last here to fix things, so I researched extensively both here and in America before making my choice. At Accuvision they testedmy eyes at around -7 each with astigmatism , early presbyopia and secondary abberations. In addition they found that I had large pupils, a thin cornea and damage to the front of the eye caused by the hard lenses. Nice. Fortunately I was sitting down when they quoted £2,200 per eye, should have worn a cheaper watch and tatty clothes. Come the day I decided to have the operation mid afternoon so it would be closer to bed time and there would be less stumbling round with my eyes closed. The nurse was fantastic. The operation was only unpleasant when they were cutting the cornea, which I felt sharply, especially in the left eye. The lasering effect was quite psychadelic, accompanied with the smell of my burning flesh. Fortunately I remembered sunglasses as I felt quite vulnerable in the eye department after the operation. Also my eyes were very uncomfortable indeed and streamed like crazy, I had forgotten the nurofen plus but luckily the clinic had some ordinary nurofen which helped ease things a bit. Went back to the hotel and sat in the bar with my eyes closed drinking pints with whisky chasers, this eased things a lot more. Then it was time for bed and a stilnox pill finally removed all discomfort. The next morning I could see! Went to the clinic and no problems except for one eye bruised and red which took a week to go. That day I read, used the computer, watched TV and drove a car. Came back 5 days later for a second check and they said the job was perfect and the incisions had healed. This is about right, I have 20/20 vision in both eyes with everything corrected and can see far better than I ever could with glasses or lenses, reaching my far point easily and reading without glasses. Even my colour vision and depth of field seem improved. I have no trouble with bright lights and no dry eye whatsoever. There is no residual discomfort. The capabilities of my eyes as optical instruments is now far greater than I realised was possible, £4,400 looks good value for this. Having read sudies that show that anti-oxidant supplements speed the healing process I stuffed myself with a wide variety till I rattled both before and after the operation. I am convinced that this had a significant effect on the positive outcome. I just cannot quit the habits of half a century of myopia. Each morning I reach for my glasses before I realise I can already see and each night I go to remove my lenses then kick myself. I am not recommending that anyone undertakes having this done to their eyes, all I can say is that thus far , for me, it is brilliant.

Well, it’s over 18 months since I underwent my Wavefront Lasik treatment at Accuvision. Truly it’s unbelievable that I’ve forgotten what being so short-sighted was like, almost taking it for granted that I can see so well.
I’m delighted with all aspects of my treatment and aftercare and the attention to detail that the staff have demonstrated. Anyone looking at this site who values their eyesight and understands that there is more to it than ‘how much will it cost?’ could do a lot worse than trust their eyes to Accuvision.
Keep up the good work!!

I had AccuWave Lasik treatment at Accuvision on 19th March 2003, pre-op my eyes were +4.50 right/+5.5 left eye, and opted for a monovision result as I did not wish to wear glasses even for reading! Despite being told of the greater risks, etc., I decided to go ahead and I am very pleased I did! The operation itself was painless and not nearly as traumatic and frightening as I envisioned, the supporting staff and surgeons were very helpful and considerate. Afterwards my vision was slightly blurry but cleared gradually throughout the evening, I followed instructions keeping my eyes shut most of the time after the op and sunglasses on until I went to bed, putting in the antibiotic drops hourly as prescribed until I went to sleep and the eye shields on when I was asleep. On waking the next day the minor scratchiness had disappeared and I could see clearly and read even small print with no problems. On examination on 20th March at Accuvision I was told that the corneal flaps had sealed and the results were good achieving
-050×160 right distance and -050×180 left near – 20/20 vision.
I was also informed that this may fluctuate over the next 3/4 months, but so far so good and excellent as far as I am concerned.

I had my procedure carried out on 12th March 2003. As with other postimonials, the reason it has taken me so long to post my findings on this site (despite my having fervently promised Vic I would do so immediately!) is that I have been having the time of my life since I regained my sight. It has been wonderful and I cannot thank the staff of Accuvision enough for making the whole process so good and of course for their efficiency.

I am one of those rare creatures who actually found the procedure itself quite distressing and I could swear I felt every cut that laser made but I don’t want to unduly alarm anyone who has yet to decide on it as like childbirth, you do forget the pain and discomfort, once it is over and you see the results!!!!!!!!
Furthermore, I made the following mistakes when I went along for my procedure: –
1. I didn’t get anywhere near enough sleep the night before
2. I didn’t wear sufficiently warm clothing and you really shiver in that cool operating room
3. I got myself thoroughly worked up about the whole thing and felt a complete prat when I came out and found (through narrowed slits of sore and watering eyes) that the rest of the post op patients, were happily sitting there in the waiting area, sipping their tea and looking only slightly drained!!!!!!!!
Being the drama queen that I am, I sighed and swooned and the staff could not have been more comforting and reassuring. I recall Mike, Vic and the delectable Darius. The latter saved me from total hysteria during the surgery as the surgeon was I felt, getting rather fed up with my attempts to perform pole vault exercises with my legs, every time the laser was turned on. Darius reassured me and made me feel that I was in safe hands.
You are a lovely bunch of people at Accuvision and I cannot sing your praises enough to all and sundry.

I had my procedure carried out on 12th March 2003. As with other postimonials, the reason it has taken me so long to post my findings on this site (despite my having fervently promised Vic I would do so immediately!) is that I have been having the time of my life since I regained my sight. It has been wonderful and I cannot thank the staff of Accuvision enough for making the whole process so good and of course for their efficiency.
I am one of those rare creatures who actually found the procedure itself quite distressing and I could swear I felt every cut that laser made but I don’t want to undulyalarm anyone who has yet to decide on it as like childbirth, you do forget the pain and discomfort, once it is over and you see the results!!!!!!!!
Furthermore, I made the following mistakes when I went along for my procedure: –
1. I didn’t get anywhere near enough sleep the night before
2. I didn’t wear sufficiently warm clothing and you really shiver in that cool operating room
3. I got myself thoroughly worked up about the whole thing and felt a complete prat when I came out and found (through narrowed slits of sore and watering eyes) that the rest of the post op patients, were happily sitting there in the waiting area, sipping their tea and looking only slightly drained!!!!!!!!
Being the drama queen that I am, I sighed and swooned and the staff could not have been more comforting and reassuring. I recall Mike, Vic and the delectable Darius. The latter saved me from total hysteria during the surgery as the surgeon was I felt, getting rather fed up with my attempts to perform pole vault exercises with my legs, every time the laser was turned on. Darius reassured me and made me feel that I was in safe hands.
You are a lovely bunch of people at Accuvision and I cannot sing your praises enough to all and sundry.

I was longsighted and had surgery on both of my eyes on 14 February 2003. From the moment that I entered the clinic it was apparent how professional and caring all of the staff were.
My consutation with Vik was very detailed and covered all eventualities which I found very helpful without being pushy.
Yes, it was uncomfortable having my eyes clamped open but there was no pain what so ever during the operation. To emphasise the high standards that they set, a minute particle of debris was found to still be in my eye it was removed immediately with no discomfort to me.
Following surgery my eyes felt gritty as previously explained to me. After resting my eyes for four hours I was amazed how much my sight had already improved. The following morning when I went for my check up I was told that I now had 20/20 vision in both eyes.
To me it has been money well spent and I would go through the procedure again if necessary. One extremely satisfied customer

I had my op done nearly 4 weeks ago at Accuvision and I’m sorry its taken me till now to post this. The truth is that its taken me till now to realise that I don’t wear specs any longer as today was the first day since the operation that I looked into the mirror to apply makeup, and it suddenly dawned on me – I dont wear glasses anymore!!!!
I’ve been wanting to get my eyes done for a while, not because I hated my glasses but because I hated being so utterly dependant on them. I was -6.50 and -7.00 with a slight cyl and had worn specs for more than 30 years and I felt Iwas blind without my spectacles! My husband is an optometrist (and a very handsome one at that!) and had been against getting corrective surgery for ages until he went to Accuvision to sus them out! To my surprise he came back and said he’d booked me in on valentines day! For anyone who knows my husband at all, this change of heart was a complete revelation as we’d spent hours in the past with other optom friends discussing the merits of laser surgery and he was never convinced by any of it. In fact he was so sure of Accuvision that he said he was going to stay at home in the Midlands with the kids for the weekend whilst I had it done!!! (We’d been to Accuvision over Xmas for the assessment and got the green light).
So on Friday 14th Feb I went to Accuvision and had my eyes done. I was amazed at just how quick the surgery was and how painless, (though I was sure that I could feel them cutting the flap at the time, I know that I couldn’t really!). I was incredibly nervous and totally unprepared because I’d done very little research – well, having a husband in the business meant I was quite complacent – if he was happy then that was good enough for me. The staff at Accuvision were all brilliant, especially when minutes before my operation it hit me that I might never see again! Absolute rubbish. Minutes after the operation (about 30) and I was seeing! Sure my eyes were sore and they watered a lot, but I could see. I remember going next door to Starbucks for a coffee and I could see to mind the lampost and I could see to cross the road. I stayed with friends that night and I think I was a pretty good house guest as all I did was crawl into bed and sleep. The next morning I went in for my post-op check and I was able to read the bottom line on the chart, something I was never able to do with my glasses.
I’ve got to hand it to the guys – Vik, Mike, Will, Joan and Darius -you’ve changed my life. Thankyou for your patience and humour – you made me feel at ease and my husband thanks you from the bottom of his heart as for the first time in 5 years he’s been able to sleep through the night since I can see enough to make the baby’s milk without having to search for my glasses now, so it’s me doing the night shifts!

Of course as soon as he could, my hubby had me in to check my eyes under the slit-lamp and at 4 days post-op he wasn’t able to see my flaps…(corneal!).My vision has steadily improved so that I have very little glare now, and the vision is great. Things are going very well at the moment and I can safely say that I am absolutely delighted with the results of my Lasik op courtesy of the experts at Accuvision. I would strongly urge anyone considering Lasik to get in touch with the guys at Accuvision. They seem to have the perfect blend of professionalism, technical ability, knowledge and that uncanny knack of being able to make you feel comfortable and relaxed about the entire process of Lasik, from the moment you first enquire to the moment you walk out the door with your new eyes. Accuvision – they’re the muts nuts!

I was very impressed with the consultation I had at Accuvision but I have two concerns and I’d be very interested to hear comments from those who have undergone the treatment.
Firstly, I’d love to hear from monovisionists! Did it work out for you or have you had to go back for further surgery?
Secondly, I’m worried about losing that wonderful, clear near-vision that short-sighted people have. Joan rather delightfully described it as ‘super-vision’. Does anyone out there miss theirs or was it a reasonable pay-off?
Thanks for sharing your experiences with me

I had waveguided surgery done in early December. The results are fantastic. It’s been very easy to get used to not needing glasses, particularly around swimming pools and spas. 🙂

I have one quibble though and that’s why I’m writing. The procedures for dealing with patients who have dry eyes aren’t all that great. At my check up in January the optometrist discovered a dry area in one of my eyes. I was given a bottle of eye drops and told to pop in some drops as soon as I felt my eyes be the least dry.

As far as it goes, that’s good advice. But with the excellent pre-op care I got, I would have expected better post-op care when it comes to dry eyes. After a few days of constant eye dropping, I noticed that my eyes actually felt worse after I had taken the drops.
Through my own research I found out that it’s very common to become allergic to the preservative used in eye drops such as the ones given out by Accuvision. (At this point I should mention that I could have called Accuvision and asked them about it. But being unimpressed by their approach to dry eye care so far, I didn’t.)

Since then I’ve tested a number of eye drops and gels and found that for me Liquifilm in single dose containers works best. Here are some links for other people with dry eyes:

General about dry eyes:
http://www.goodhope.org.uk/departments/eyedept/sore%20dry%20eye.htm

The list of artificial tears at the bottom of this page is useful:
http://www.prodigy.nhs.uk/guidance.asp?gt=dry%20eye%20syndrome

Guidelines for treating dry eyes, not only applicable to people with Sjogren’s.
http://www.sjogrensyndrom.se/100-site/spdfs/S24.pdf

Ideally Accuvision should give out an information sheet about dry eyes to those who have that problem at one of the first few post op check-ups. It could contain information about preservative allergies and eye brightening ingredients as well as advice on where to get artifical tears, pros and cons of drops vs. gels and environmental factors to be aware of. Instead of pushing a bottle of Hypromellose into patients’ hands, people could be given a few samples of preservative-free single-use containers of different kinds of eye drops so that they can experiment with what kind works best for them. That would actually work out cheaper for Accuvision and improve the level of care at the same time.