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Lasik | Lasek Problems

  • Rainydays123
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Replied by Rainydays123 on topic To have it done again or not?

Posted 11 Apr 2023 15:33 #1
Basically i had laser in 2021, no issues, but since having a baby in 2022 i am now having issues and after an eye test at a local optician, they said i need frames foe short sight, optimax want £50 for consultation. Has anyone gone again?? Im more nervous to go again. What if it happens again?
Last Edit:14 Apr 2023 16:48 by Rainydays123
  • jmorris
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Replied by jmorris on topic alternative laser eye surgery firms

Posted 31 Dec 2022 20:39 #2
Hi all,
wondering if anyone would be able to reccomend any alterantive laser eye surgery firms to optical express?
Cheers
Josh
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admin: I suggest you do some more research, and read more of the posts on this forum, to understand that you won’t find ANY recommendations for unregulated refractive surgery here :kiss:
Last Edit:01 Jan 2023 16:57 by jmorris
  • Sasha Rodoy
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Replied by Sasha Rodoy on topic Bloody eye

Posted 02 Dec 2022 19:43 #3
Yet another warning to those considering #refractivesurgery, and to anyone planning a gift of laser or lens surgery to a loved one - DON’T DO IT :kiss:

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (#MGD) is a condition that the majority of people could live their lifetime without ever knowing they have it

I had never heard of MGD, and had no symptoms (asymptomatic), until my regrettable lasek surgery on 18 February 2011, since which time I have needed and regularly undergo specialist treatment, including Lipiflow.*

Due to the ongoing dispute with Optimax|Ultralase owner Russell Ambrose (who could easily settle this, but he’s bored and enjoys fighting with me!), I was overdue for treatment, and as a result, some of the meibomian glands in my left eye had became severely blocked; so after suffering with chalazions (cysts) for more than 6 weeks, the prescibed ointment not working, I had steroid injections (see 29 August post for details & more gruesome pics!)

By mid October all but one had disappeared, this diagnosed as 'pyogenic granuloma’. (Google it!)

I was then prescribed steroid ointment (easier to apply with clean finger tip than follow instructions to squeeze into eye - especially when you have no close up vision sans specs!)

Took a while, but it's worked like magic, and the lump almost gone… then I woke up two days ago looking like the bride of Dracula!

Panicking, I contacted my specialist, who explained that it was a 'Subconjunctival haemorrhage', the steroids having weakened the blood vessels, and told me that I should check my blood pressure asap.

About to rush off to the nearest A&E, he informed me that I could buy a blood pressure monitor at a pharmacy.

I did so, and when I forwarded the reading, he replied: 'That must be your cool and calm temperament’. As I'm sure those off you who know me will appreciate, he was of course joking!

I had surgery in February 2011, almost TWELVE years ago, and still I continue to present with new problems.

How much more do people need to hear to understand that the problems so many thousands of us suffer as a result of #refractivesurgery (laser and lens), including blindness and enucleation, glaucoma, retinal detachment, etc… etc… could happen to them?

Do people not realise that most of us also thought we would be OK? (I was worried, and came close to cancelling minutes before surgery, but that's another story!)

Meanwhile, if interested in reading more about MGD, I recommend this article:'The Effect of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction on Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis in Asymptomatic Patients’

'The post-LASIK dry eye is a crucial factor of the surgical outcome and patient satisfaction [21, 22]. Therefore, a thorough preoperative evaluation and postoperative management of refractive surgery candidates with dry eye are recommended in the initial screening and during follow-up examinations. Searching the data available in the era of asymptomatic MGD and the effect on LASIK outcomes, it was surprising to learn that it is very limited. More studies are needed to reach solid conclusions.’*
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40123-022-00610-y

It should be noted that the study did not include patients who’d undergone #Lasek/PRK or lens surgery.

Fyi: Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) and Laser Sub-epithelial Keratectomy (Lasek) are surface laser eye surgery procedures. Lasek is a derivative of PRK, whereby the epithelium is loosened with alcohol solution. The epithelium surface cells are then scraped aside and smoothed back over after the laser treatment. PRK is a similar procedure, but the surface cells are scraped aside and binned.

*This doesn’t work for everyone, is expensive, and only provides temporary relief.
**No sh*t Sherlock! Something the refractive industry is definitely not keen to pursue.
Last Edit:01 Jan 2023 16:52 by Sasha Rodoy
  • Kevin Snelling
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Replied by Kevin Snelling on topic Less than expected outcome

Posted 25 Oct 2022 20:01 #4
I asked for a top up laser 2019 on a privious laser corection done back in 2001 through a difrent company,It was sugested by optical express to have lense replacment surgery,so i decided to go along with that. The results were poor ,with various return visits with extra costs my vision now is horible in both eye's like looking through old perspex sheet also geting cloudy with headaces and eye's constant ache . i dont feel safe driving anymore as distance problem as reading a number plate at 20 meters is a strugle unless in good light conditions ,
last visit was 03/08/22 were i was basicly pased on to a private eye clinic for consultaton , now haveing treatment privatly which is costly . Wish i had just carry on with driving glasses back 2019 and not gone to Optical Express , The whole experience has cost me around £10.000 to which my vision is now not good
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Last Edit:18 Nov 2022 07:46 by Kevin Snelling
  • Lou
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Replied by Lou on topic Lasek sight deterioration

Posted 08 Oct 2022 21:27 #5
Hi i had lasek id performed on 27th nov 2021, at OE and all seemed to go well, however around 6 months after i noticed my eyesight appeared to be declining, so went back, seen at Cheltenham and told the vision getting worse due to dry eye/MGD, told to go home use warm compress etc etc and that there was no prescription to correct. My sight seemed to get a little worse....went back to OE 2 months ago to be told exactly the same story..... due to dry eye etc..… My sight was still getting worse so this week went to an independent opticians, did eye test and they said i have not got 20/20 vision! It is only just driving standard and i had to buy some glasses as i drive for my job and was finding i was having to squint to judge other cars distance etc..... so either OE have lied to me and i didnt have 20 20 vision or my eyes are just getting worse??? I have an app at Worcester OE next week, pls advise me what i can say to them and what i should expect them to do. Thank you, Lou
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admin: You should insist on seeing the surgeon, not an optometrist as is too often their practise.
For more advice, please contact sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk
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Last Edit:18 Nov 2022 07:53 by Lou
  • Sayed_ast
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Replied by Sayed_ast on topic BIG regret

Posted 06 Oct 2022 13:23 #6
I regret getting lasik my right eyes are terrible I am spending a lot of money buying drops unfortunately it doesn't work I feel like stabbing in my eyes. it's been 3 years and my eyes still not recovered and I cannot go sleep at night time. Now Optical Express charges me. I am a student and I hardly paid off the cost. I wish I never had this ☹️ it change my life so I cannot do my day to day work anymore ☹️
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admin: For advice, please contact sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk :kiss:
Last Edit:18 Nov 2022 07:54 by Sayed_ast
  • emjbro
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Replied by emjbro on topic Pain during procedure dismissed?!

Posted 08 Sep 2022 22:03 #7
I underwent an abandoned lasik procedure last Saturday at OE because the vacuum failed on my second eye. This is possibly because on the first eye I felt terrible acute pain during the flap cut.

I told the surgeon at the time after she asked about the experience of on the first eye that it had been painful, and she said, "oh yes it can be".

While on the phone to a "senior clinician" today, I asked about pain management, explaining the intense pain I felt during the cut, and that it was very distressing when I was told I shouldn't feel pain.

Surely I cannot be the only person who has experienced this pain? Anaesthetic fails sometimes, but this woman basically refused to acknowledge that I felt pain. She just kept saying I shouldn't have and "maybe you felt the pressure as pain".

Everyone online seems to say the procedure shouldn't be painful. I realise it shouldn't be, but it was for me, and it's just super distressing to remember. I feel so alone because no one else seems to have had this. I felt like I was in a horror film, in terrible pain, but not able to say anything about it at the time because someone was cutting into my eye.
_______________________
admin: A number of people have reported pain during recent procedures, suggesting that too little anaesthetic is being applied, another cost cutting exercise perhaps.
For more advice, contact sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk
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Last Edit:13 Sep 2022 16:19 by emjbro
  • Bethany
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Replied by Bethany on topic Lasik April 2021 Muhammad Kazmi

Posted 01 Sep 2022 16:37 #8
I has lasik in April 2021 at Optical Express Meadowhall in Sheffield.
I decided to have it done as my vision was getting worse and I really didn’t like wearing glasses full time. I knew a few colleagues at work who had previously had it done and had a really good experience, describing it as like a miracle and having HD vision.
When I went for my initial consultation, all my scans and checks came back fine and I wasn’t informed of any issues with my eyes that could potentially cause complications. I was told I was a perfect candidate and was eagerly persuaded to go ahead.
I was very briefly told that temporary side effects such as dry eyes and nighttime halos etc were totally normal and always go away after the initial healing period. I was never told that such issues can become chronic and lifelong in some people.
It has now been almost a year and a half since my surgery and all the “temporary side effects” are still as bad as they were when I had it done.
From the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed I am managing the chronic dry eye that lasik has left me with. Burning, itching, redness, feeling like I’ve got something in my eye, blurred/fluctuating vision etc etc. Everyday I do everything they recommend- drops, gels, warm compress, massage, lid scrubs, omega 3 supplements, stay hydrated etc but this only ever slightly reduced the discomfort.
I have had the temporary punctal plugs fitted but I barley noticed a difference and still had to keep doing all my normal routine listed about everyday even with these in.
Prior to surgery I have never experienced dry eye in my life. To be honest I wasn’t even really sure what it was. I had never even used drops before.
During all of my many aftercare appointments I have always been told the same old story- the dryness will improve, just give it time, everyone heals at a different rate and your just taking longer to settle that’s all. You probably had some dryness prior to surgery which has elevated the dryness after surgery.
Again I emphasis that I definitely had never experienced any dry eye symptoms prior to surgery and all of my scans came back saying my eyes were fully healthy prior to surgery.

Not only did I pay nearly £4000 to be left with a chronic dry eye condition which I did not have prior to surgery, one which I will now have to manage for the rest of my life at a considerable financial burden to me, I also never got the HD vision I was promised.
Since having the surgery, I have noticed little to no difference in my vision. My day vision is the tiniest bit less blurry than before but still blurry enough that I still have to squint while reading anything, I still see a white glow around words and I could easily put my glasses back on and see much clearer.
My nighttime vision however is way worse than before. I have now had to completely stop driving at night time as I know I am unsafe to be on the road with my level of vision.
The nighttime starburst, halos and glare that were supposed to be short and temporary are so bad when another car drives past me it’s like someone is shining a torch into my eyes and I have to look down. I can’t see road markings properly and everything is just so blindly bright. I did not have a single issue with nighttime driving before surgery and he’s never experienced any of these issues before in my life.
Even though at my three month appointment I was sat nearly in tears (if only I had any tears now) explaining all the complications I was having, the cold hearted optometrist tried to discharge me and I was told my vision was showing 20/20 and the dryness was just masking my improved vision. Once the dryness goes away my vision will be HD. I was told to go see my GP about dryness as the surgery hadn’t caused my dryness as it doesn’t do that apparently.
The only reason I wasn’t discharged that day and sent on my way was my husband demanding I get a second opinion and arranging me an appointment to see one of the other optometrists the following day.
The other optometrist was no better and again told me I had 20/20 vision and that it was just the dryness masking the vision. I was again told to give it time and keep up with my drops, nighttime ointment, heat bag etc.
When things still didn’t get any better, I had the temporary punctual plugs fitted but these made no difference.
I was then finally referred back to see Dr Muhammad Kazmi (the surgeon who did my lasik) after 16 months of being fobbed off and told my vision and dryness would get better.
He then did some checks and informed me that my vision had actually been overcorrected which is why my vision wasn’t clear. I had gone from being a minus prescription to a plus.
The surgeon said the dryness was a separate issue and again tried to imply I must have had dryness prior to surgery.
The surgeon recommended I have the lasik redone to correct the initial over correction, despite knowing that the initially surgery had left me with chronic dry eye and stating that the surgery would definitely make my eyes more dry if I had it done again. He said it was my choice and I had to weight up whether I wanted better vision or not. He said I would have to learn to live with my dry eye and try put it to the back of my mind as if the dryness hasn’t improved by this point it wasn’t going to.
So after over a year of aftercare appointments being told I did have 20/20 vision, I was now being told that wasn’t the case and my vision had been over corrected, meaning I had been lied to by all the optometrist I had seen prior to this.
I had also been mislead about my dry eye, being told for a year that it would eventually improve and my vision would then improve also. However, I was now being told if it hasn’t gotten any better by now it wouldn’t get any better!
The following day, after sleeping on it I saw another optometrist to let them know what I wanted to do. The optometrist himself actually said if I was his family or friend he would tell me not to have it redone and it would definitely make my dryness worse.
Even though I was planning to turn down the correction surgery anyway, this made me even more certain I was making the right choice.
I then asked him what now about my dry eye and if there is anything else I can do to try manage it, as what I am doing at the minute is barley giving me any relief. The guy then mentioned having the permanent punctual plugs but said I would probably have to pay for these myself as they aren’t included in aftercare after 12 months. I asked if they could be included based on my situation and he said he would speak to HR and ask.
He then got back to me the following day to say the plugs would be £200!!
£200 for plugs I only need because the surgery has left me with chronic dry eye which I did not have before surgery!
So not only am I £3600 down, my vision is no better, I have chronic dry eye, I can’t drive at night, they now want me to give them more money!!!
I have now made the decision to move forward with legal proceedings based on my results and overall experience/treatment from start to finish.
Even though my eyes will never be the same again and no claim will ever give me my quality of life back, every claim and complain made against them stacks up and hopefully this will bring about real change in the long run.
Last Edit:02 Sep 2022 14:46 by Bethany
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  • Pam G-D
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Replied by Pam G-D on topic Kerataconus Options?

Posted 02 Dec 2021 13:26 #9
Back in 2012/2013, I can't remember the year exactly, I had corrective eye Surgery done by OE.

I had a prescription at that time of -3.25 in my left eye and -3.75 in my right eye.

Everything went well with the surgery at the time, but during the aftercare the vision in my right eye wasn't 100%. I was told at the time that I could see how it settled, and perhaps have further surgery, or correct it with contact lenses! Because it didn't effect my vision for everyday life I didn't pursue either of those options.

Fast forward to summer 2020 and my vision was starting to deteriorate, I wasn't comfortable driving at night at all, and in poor light it was clear that I needed to have a sight test. This was after a test the year previous when I asked the OE optician that I saw if there was an issue with my sight, as I had noticed my close up vision with my right eye was getting worse. She assured me thatmy vision was correct, and what they had done when I'd had my surgery was do one eye for close up and one eye for distance. Now this was news to me, as I had no issue with my reading vision at the time of my surgery, but who was I to question an eyesight professional. I still have a copy of my iScan from that visit.

When I visited OE for an eye exam one year ago I was told that I had possibly developed Kerataconus, as the optometrist had issues getting my eyes to focus, and advised that I should have a scan to confirm this. I had this scan on January 2nd in Dundee. Despite the optometrist pushing for a diagnosis from this scan none was forthcoming. He even sent to to the opt homology department at the local hospital and asked them to look at it. They sent it back saying it was not their issue as I had previously had private eye surgery with OE.

After further pushing by my optometrist I was called by OE and asked to attend a consultation with a surgeon in Glasgow, the date of this appointment was April 9th and was with David Teenan. My eyes were scanned again before going into his consulting room. The first thing he did was hand me a consent form for cross link surgery. This was a bit of a shock to me, as no-one had yet told me if it was in fact Kerataconus that I had, and also not much bloody use to me, as I couldn't see to read it by that time. His bedside manner left an awful lot to be desired. I was asked the usual questions about whether anyone in my family had suffered from this before, but there is no family history at all. I asked Jim if the surgery had done this, and although he was noncommittal he said it was a possibility. He advised me he was emailing to the clinical services department about my treatment plan and marking it URGENT! To this date I have heard nothing from them, despite me emailing several times, and my optom also emailing them for answers.

Since then I have had contact lenses fitted, so far soft lenses, albeit specially made ones. My prescription is so bad that glasses don't work at all, and I've just had to have a new lens ordered for my left eye as my sight has deteriorated again.

My optom called me this morning to say that he has had an email from Head Office to say that Cross Link surgery would be chargeable at £1995 per eye!!!! I STILL have not heard from them directly.,

To say I'm annoyed would be an understatement, I feel let down, lied to, fobbed off. I have always said to my optom that I feel like they're keeping the truth from me.

I will be making an appointment with an independent optometrist and seeking a second opinion.

Have Optical Express Ruined my Beautiful Eyes? I would say without a doubt!
by Pam G-D
  • Simonm16
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Replied by Simonm16 on topic Eye sight has deteoriated after 16 months, any help

Posted 23 Nov 2021 19:10 #10
Hello, I had my OE surgery in June 2020 as it was delayed due to lockdown. I had to chase them up 2 months after they re-opened as they had my deposit and hadn't contacted me.

My eyesight was fine and on a couple of aftercare checkups i could read better than 20/20. I was still getting halo's at night and still do. However, now my eyesight is blurry and I did an eye test at home (so not perfect conditions) and I could barely read 5 levels lower than my last aftercare check up.

I'm going to a different place to get an eye test and OCT scan to see if it is a problem that can be fixed with drops. I'm using dry eye drops but it doesn't seem to do anything. I've been told it's £100 for an appointment as my 12 months was up. I'm pretty sure I was told the aftercare was forever.

Also I strongly remember reading something about re-lasering for free that was a lifetime guarantee, does anyone else remember or have proof of this as I stupidly threw away my documentation.

I have called and requested my original documents so awaiting that back. It looks like I wouldn't get my money back either as I'm 16-17 months after my surgery and it says 15 months on the promotion.

Do I have any right to my money back etc. as I was told my eyesight would start to drop off when I hit 40 and I'm 30 currently. Not exactly what I expected when I paid the extra for the iDesign surgery. It's only started happening over the last couple of weeks when I've noticed it not being anywhere near as good as it was.

What can I do from here?

Thanks
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Last Edit:23 Nov 2021 20:15 by Simonm16
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