Just wondering if anyone on the board here has had this done. Thinking about getting it done myself in the near future. Would be great to get rid of the lenses and the glasses.
Anyone any first hand experience of it?
Chat to big bird supersarsfields. He has researched it a lot. Think he has it done. Before wedding anyway
I got it 2 years ago, best thing I ever done - I'd forget now that I ever wore glasses
Cheers Bensars. Didn't know he had it done. MArk McCaffery had it done during the summer there as well and said it was a great job. It was kinda him who got me thinking about it.
Was it in Belfast that you got it done Bandit? What was the name of the company?
I got it done in Dublin - Wellington Eye Clinic, I'd say it is cheaper up north though
Bandit - a few questions, if you don't mind.
Can it correct both short-sightedness and long-sightedness?
How long is it claimed to last?
Can you repeat it in 10/20 years or whatever when the ould lamps have deteriorated again due to natural decline?
How much?
QuoteCan you repeat it in 10/20 years or whatever when the ould lamps have deteriorated again due to natural decline?
She who must be obeyed got hers done in the Mater Private 8 years ago, her surgeon was Dr Michael O'Keefe, he pioneered the surgey in Ireland, they have a tremendous after care service, where the patients are brought back in every two years for a free test, if the eyesight has deterioated they'll correct it free of charge.
She got hers done last year for no charge..
QuoteCan it correct both short-sightedness and long-sightedness?
Yes, can correct both, as well as astigmatism.
QuoteHow long is it claimed to last?
How long is a piece of string really. It all depends how you use your eyes. Sitting on the gaa board can be detrimental for the eye sight.
The woman got hers done in Blackrock during the summer, so did her cousin before her, both very impressed with the procedure and the aftercare/lack of need for it. Downside is that the VHI didn't cover it.
Thanks for the info lads.
I gather Vivas are covering it. Maybe I'll join them for a year.
Got the eyes done 2 weeks ago and I'm raging I didn't do it years ago. Its like all of a sudden I can see in high definition. Be very choosy about who performs the work, that's the only thing I'd advise. Luckily in new york there's a load to choose from so I went on who had done the sports guys...
Bandit - a few questions, if you don't mind.
Can it correct both short-sightedness and long-sightedness?
Yes, its just a case of enlarging or shrinking the retina to fit I think.
How long is it claimed to last?
Around 20/25 years
Can you repeat it in 10/20 years or whatever when the ould lamps have deteriorated again due to natural decline?
I would imagine so, but at 45/50+ they generally only perform it on one eye, so one eye is suitable for reading and the other for driving!!
Sounds crazy but apparently it works!
How much?
it was 900 euros an eye when I got it done, if anything it would be cheaper now, and cheaper again in the north
That O'Keeffe man in the Mater is supposed to be good, but to be honest I haven't heard any bad reports from here.
I heard of a few who got it done abroad who regretted it though.....
Thanks Bandit, Heganboy.
Cost the woman just over 2k for both eyes from what I can remember. Saying that they use laser technology to lift the flap so there's no actual cutting with a knife, might be worth the extra expense...
Does anyone know of the best place in the north to get it done?
And cheers for the info Bandit.
One other thing? How long afterwards did it keep you out of contact sports?
if you can get wavefront I'd go for it (http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/custom_lasik.htm (http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/custom_lasik.htm))
If its good enough for tiger woods, its good enough for me. No blade anywhere and the upside is that it corrects your quality of vision in terms of the sharpness, better night vision etc
My missus got it done about 4-5 years ago. She went to Vision Express in Belfast for the consultation but the surgery was carried out in Glasgow as VE didn't have a clinic in Belfast. At that time it cost around £1,200 and when you added flights and accommodation it was still cheaper than it would have been had she had it done by one of the Belfast clinics. She had mild discomfort for a day or two after but nothing more. It was a complete success. I don't think it addresses the natural decline in your eyesight that occurs with age as they told her she may need glasses at some time in the future but only for reading and not for general purpose.
ps anyone else getting a load of lasik ads on this page?
Yup
Quote from: supersarsfields on October 02, 2007, 04:25:49 PM
Does anyone know of the best place in the north to get it done?
And cheers for the info Bandit.
One other thing? How long afterwards did it keep you out of contact sports?
You are supposed to be out for 6 weeks, I was back at training after 10 days.
You arent supposed to drive for 3/4 days, I drove the next day
QuoteYou are supposed to be out for 6 weeks, I was back at training after 10 days.
You arent supposed to drive for 3/4 days, I drove the next day
Again, this depends on the type that you get. I was told I could drive next day and sport as soon as I wanted, for racquet sports I was told to wear goggles for 3-4 weeks and not use a pool for 6 weeks, all other sports no bother.
My experience similar to the Mighty Quinn.Vision Express have a South Afican surgeon who is world class. A work colleague went round all the options in Dublin and Belfast and recommended him-based on :competence ,experience and value. We had to go to Bristol but they give you a 10% discount if you have to travel- we enjoyed a nice day without the kids and partner had the Op at 4pm .However,you will need someone with you as you are fine immediately afterwards ( miracle job) but the discomfort means you have to have cover on eyes for at least 12 hours and have to negotiate airport security ( have a word with Airline- Easyjet put us in front row but the downside was we had to sit beside Willie Mc Crea). Next morning - for the first time in 30 plus years she didn't need to reach for glasses to see the time. Definitely a good move .
Mind you the discomfort of having to cover your eyes would be nothing compared with not having to cover your eyes and look at that little bollox McCrea
Will laser surgery work properly for people over 50. Reading the above posts seemed to indicate that the veyes will deteriorate with age. I must say that I thought about going down this line years ago and wimped out. However reading the enthusiastic comments on this thread is making me reconsider. You can't all work for Vision Express
Had both eyes done 2 weeks ago at OPTIMAX on lisburn road.............should have had it done years ago....brilliant result. back driving on 2nd day after no swimming for 6 weeks and no contact sport for 2 weeks. toal cost 2000 pounds but worth every penny.
Is that true about Astigmatisms? i was told by my optician lasering would'nt work for me (maybe she's low on customers) and that it could only have been done when i was 7 or 8 years old when the first symptoms were appearing or disappearing as the case was.
She said lasering would be a total waste of money in my case.
Anyone out there with astigmatisms that have had the laser and worked?
thats what the wavefront is for- I had pretty bad astigmatism and the new wavefront takes care of it- I have better than 20/20
what is wavefront? how much?
theres a link to info about wavefront on the previous page, Sorry but Im in the US so I have no idea how much it costs at home. Its about $6k for both eyes and all the aftercare here in the US without an insurance contribution
Always amazes me how most opticians wear glasses, and I doubt it's to promote their product. I know a couple personally who have grieve misgivings about this procedure down the line. Lets be honest it's purely a cosmetic exercise based on vanity with relatively short term gain and potentially longer term harm.
Yeah it's vanity alright!!
Nothing to do with the hasssle of taking contacts out every nite, cleaning them, putting them in solution and then repeating the process in the morning,
Or the annoyance that's caused by glare from lights when wearing contacts or even the fact that I have to take my contacts out evertime I want to go for a swim!!
I just really really want to look good!!
So what concerns the couple you know? I'd be interested to hear wht they have misgivings about and if it's based on anything solid?
OMG you never hear of glasses?
As for the opticians I know they give me the whole medical jargon - I could ask again for a refresh but basically 90%+ of the time the procedure was only possible once and because of the procedure when the eye starts to fail again it will be at a greater speed pace than had the procedure not taken place.
Yeah glasses are great for playing contact sport arn't they!! Plus their a torture for loosing and for breaking!! In fact it was the hassle of wearing glasses that made me go for contacts. And so if this can get rid of all the negative aspects of the contacts with from what I'm hearing no side affects then happy days.
And sure if your going by your vanity logic why do anything like shaving etc. there doesn't seem to be any conclusive proof that it harms you in the long term.
And yet on the other side there seems to be loads of success stories.
Shaving won't cost me two and a half grand and potentially serious sight problems in later life - btw I really couldn't give a monkeys whether you have the treatment or not - it great that you have totally researched the process and know the full scope of patient care and adverse effects down the line and are merely shopping for a price - good luck to you - hopefully the internet will be in braile down the line and you can still make a contribution.
You seem very certain of these terrible adverse afects that ARE going to happen me IF I get this done. Yet you don't seem to back them up?
Can you blame me for asking for info on these affects as there are many first hand cases here detailing the postitives of the operation.
And on the money side of things. The price for getting them done seems to be in the region of £2K. With some cheaper alternatives and some more expensive ones. But glasses seem to be in the region of £250 -£300 a pop. And over the next 15 to twenty years you can be sure that you would go through maybe 4-5 pairs through breaking ones, loosing ones and just new prescriptions. So it wouldn't be working out that much more expensive yet would be saving alot of hassle.
I am not very certain at all but i certainally wouldn't be getting this procedure carried out without all the facts at hand - what research have you carried out - what professionals in the eye care industry have you spoken to - what medical journals have you studied or consulted - in the end it is youy health at risk here, if in 20 years time you are left blind or close to blind - or did Johnny tell you - its great i can see everything now, get it done. ::)
Know lots of people who've had this done and have never heard of any problems. My cousin is also an optician and he recommends it.
There was though one colleague in Dublin who had it done and it didn't all go to plan. As they were using the laser he sneezed and the laser jumped. Now he has "Up Kerry" burnt into his forehead.
My missus got it done a couple of years ago and there were complications. She developed an infection in one of the eyes and was in a lot of pain for a week or so. It eventually cleared up though and her eyesight is 100% better than before. The only downside is that she nearly divorced me when she realised what an ugly fcuker i was.
I think laser eye surgery is the way forward, in 30 years time their will be no one wearing glasses.
Quote from: stiffler on October 03, 2007, 11:59:08 AM
I think laser eye surgery is the way forward, in 30 years time their will be no one wearing glasses.
If thats the case, there goes the famous rant shouted at pitches up and down the land every sunday
"Get a pair of glasses you blind **** ye ! "
Quote from: Snowed Under on October 03, 2007, 11:44:32 AM
I am not very certain at all but i certainally wouldn't be getting this procedure carried out without all the facts at hand - what research have you carried out - what professionals in the eye care industry have you spoken to - what medical journals have you studied or consulted - in the end it is youy health at risk here, if in 20 years time you are left blind or close to blind - or did Johnny tell you - its great i can see everything now, get it done. ::)
But that's just it, I have been looking into things on the internet and nearly all them seem to be supportive of the procedure. Sorry I haven't carried out any actual research on it personally bar getting opinions of people first hand on her and elsewere. That's why I was interested to find out. But no one bar you seems to have a bad thing to say about it which is fair enough but you don'treally back it up with anything, just going on about taking risks. Sure any sort of op is a risk but it would seem from what I have gathered of the net that it's a pretty safe procedure.
I'm sure it is a pretty safe procedure - it's the long term effects which one has to consider - how long has it been going 20 years? - It is only of lare 10 years or so that the masses are getting it done - and in a lot of cases it is consmetic - I'm sure you can use the net so I don't have to tell you that there are a lot of negative articles out there. As for peoples opinions first hand, is that people who just have had the operation, i dont for one second question the amazing immeiate effects but before someone messed with my eyes I would do a bit more research, seems people won't believe a wet paint sign unless they touch it but are happy to let others decide the fate of their health without question.
I can understand were your coming from. But for me to be able to wake up in the morning and to have clear vision would be fantastic. And honestly it's hardly comestic as I'm wearing lences now anyway so it won't affect my appearance.
But as I swim alot and play quite a bit of sports it would be so handy not to have to put my contacts in and out.
But your looking at the approach that you'd rather wait and see the long term affects on others? But what if i wait twenty years and there hasn't been any problems with the procedures. I'll have wasted all that time just in case it might have implications in the long term and still be stuck with the bad eyesight.
snowed under has a point (in one of his posts- not the braille one), there is a risk, but it is surgery there is always a risk.
I had to sign a waiver that the procedure has only been in use for 14 years, and that I was undertaking it at my own risk, I also had to sign off on all of the hazards of what could go wrong (there's about 20 things) and those could include the need for a corneal transplant (not good, trust me)
However as with anything else (sober) I weighed the risk and went for it, so far so good.
Your call, one that I'm glad I made
Quote from: supersarsfields on October 02, 2007, 09:57:39 AM
Just wondering if anyone on the board here has had this done. Thinking about getting it done myself in the near future. Would be great to get rid of the lenses and the glasses.
Anyone any first hand experience of it?
Sarsfields, did you get this surgery done at the time? How successful was it and who did you use in the North here? Cheers.
Many people here got treatment done in Belfast ? any reports on the Optmax on Lisburn Rd?
Got a quote for the Lasik Intralase Wavefront treatment, £2400.
Don't know a whole lot about this surgery at this stage, any advice welcome!
Any of the lads who have got this done, is it really sore and for how long?
Im getting it done but just have to decide where.
Optimax on Lisburn Road quoted £1200
Optical Express in Victoria Square quoted £1500
Ultralase on lisburn road quoted £3000
There seems to be a vast difference in price with each company telling me that they have the best lasers and the others are no good. Don't know who to go for. Has anyone has any experience with Ultralase?
:D
My question would have been 'Has anyone any experience with Optimax?'!!
I went with Optical Express about year and a half ago, mate got his done about 2 years ago at the same place.
Anyone that is thinking about it - take my advice - dont think about it get it done. Best decision I ever made in my life. No more contacts, glasses steaming up, needing wiped everytime it rains!!!
I have vouchers from Optical Express that give you £300 off as well if you are referred. Let me know and I'll hoke them out.
Done a search and great to find a thread like this.
I was reading through the topic and looked online at Optimax in Belfast. They have 4 Treatments as below, all at different costs as below.
Does anyone know what the difference is in these and is there much of a difference between the most expensive and the least expensive?
Really need to get this done sooner rather than later :-[
(http://www.optimax.co.uk/images/htt_images/laser_eye_surgery_treatment_costs.png)
Not sure in the real differences between them but the recovery time is less the higher up the list you go.
Also I was told that the dearest laser on your list would lead to a better result. Though they probably would say that.
Quote from: Muzz on November 22, 2011, 09:08:35 PM
Not sure in the real differences between them but the recovery time is less the higher up the list you go.
Also I was told that the dearest laser on your list would lead to a better result. Though they probably would say that.
Just salesman talk i would imagine Muzz.
Went for a consultation in Belfast yesterday with Optilase.
They say I need LASIK treatment with wavefront. The cost is £2590 (£1295 per eye). It is an extra £300 per eye to use Intralase for creating the flap.
I went into optical express today and asked them for a price list. "We dont have price lists, we need to do a consultation before we give a price"
Does this mean that I have to get an eye exam for every company I want to persue?
Definately want to get it done but just want the cheapest price obviously as I assume they are all working off the same procedures / technology
Anyone recommend a good company to use in the Belfast area?
I used Optical Express and treatment was spot on. All appointments on time. Follow up appointments etc.
This might help.
http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/lasik_lasek_chart.html (http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/lasik_lasek_chart.html)
Quote from: Tony Baloney on November 24, 2011, 06:11:46 PM
This might help.
http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/lasik_lasek_chart.html (http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/lasik_lasek_chart.html)
Yeh but how is he gonna read it?
A friend of mine is his early 40's had it done a few years ago and he is in the "never looked back" camp. Im a glasses wearer of 15 years at least now and its a pain in the ass especially for when im out cycling and that. I suppose id consider the eye surgery now that im hitting the ass of a similar age but unlike yer man in question not the other cosmetic alterations.
The cheaper LASEK option is the older more known about system thats been around for 20-30 years or so now. Its where they burn off a layer of the eye and obviously the most uncomfortable for days afterwards, even up to a week.
The more expensive LASEK option is relatively new, 10-15 years. Involves slicing a flap, lifint it bak and buring underneath, then closing the flap over again and the WAVEFRONT kind of seals the flap again, kick-starting the healing process.
I have LASEK done and was fine afterwards however you're avvised to keep eyes cloed to help the healing i.e. go to bed. NExt day fine and right as rain in a week. you need to wear shades for abut 4 days and tape on goggles in bed in case you rub your eye and dis-lodge the flap. You need to use comfort eye drops for a few months as your eyes get dry more quickly.
Deadly job though. If you make an enquiry and dont turn up they will send you a voucher for neqarly 50% off. Mine was £3,800 ,the dearest one and I got it for £2,000.