Deposit Refunds

I had a very small prescription but was fed up putting my glasses on to look at my phone. I went to Optical Express in Exeter on the 13 May 2025, and was told I was suitable for lens exchange. I was very surprised when they said it would cost £7,300, so they dropped the price to £6,651.   They told me it was good to have this surgery as it meant I would never get cataracts.

Before the day of surgery I only spoke to Dr Saqlain Sadiq online, and only for a few minutes, when he only really asked if I had any questions. I didn’t know what to ask and thought it would be a piece of cake, but he didn't explain any of the risks that I have now read about, or tell me that my prescription is so small that I shouldn’t bother with this surgery.

I went for surgery on the 9 June and was asked to provide my consent form. I had a gut feeling not to go ahead and told the nurse I didn’t want it doing after all. Dr Sadiq then came to chat with me and said if I wasn’t happy to go ahead that was fine, He reassured me that there won’t be any problems if I did, but also said nothing is 100% guaranteed.

The nurse came back to talk to me and she also reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. Feeling more confident after all their reassurances I agreed to rebook  for the 16th July. But when I went home I thought some more and decided I couldn’t take the risk. On top of this a previous neighbour I hadn’t seen in a while told me that she’d had surgery at OE and after 18 months is still struggling with problems and can’t even see close up. She’s in dispute with OE and is looking to the NHS to fix her eyes. She also told me that she’s spoken to a lot of other people left with serious problems after this surgery.

I wanted a second opinion to be sure, so on the 16 June I went for an eye test at my local opticians. They told me that I have dry eyes which OE hadn’t mentioned, but had told me I had a scar on my left eye, the reason why I needed a PureSee lens in that eye, because they are like “the Aston Martin of lenses”. I asked the optician to check, and he did so twice, but told me he couldn’t see a scar!

I then cancelled my surgery with OE and asked for my £6,651 back. They said yes, not a problem, but it will take up to 28 working days. I have called them again about this as I think it’s not right but they have said that’s their policy.  I don’t have anything in writing and am worried that they’re not going to give me all my money back. Please can you help?

I should add that I have bought new glasses and contact lenses and can see perfectly!
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admin: Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

 

Hello Sasha,
I'm reaching out because I cancelled my iDesign LASEK surgery scheduled with OE in Tallaght (Dublin) on the 21st of July. (I had my initial consultation in Dublin a couple of months ago when I was told I was suitable for the procedure.)
I then had my surgeon consultation with Dr Mikhail Hernandez on Friday the 4th of July. Although he explained there are some risks associated with the surgery, he told me very few patients experience serious side effects. Nor did he mention the need for a stable prescription, as I’ve discovered while researching more about the surgery.
Despite my age (28) my prescription is still changing, with myopia appearing only 12 months ago (before that I only had astigmatism). I wasn't aware that the prescription had to be stable for ideally at least a couple of years before surgery, as this wasn’t mentioned during either of the consultations.
I've had a look at a few forums online and I came across your website. I've gotten more and more concerned about the choice I made, both in terms of the safety of the procedure in general, and because of my specific circumstances with an unstable prescription. It’s also not reassuring to have found so many negative reviews about Optical Express online.
I have now cancelled my surgery but was told they might not refund my full deposit.
Could you offer any help or advice on how to get the 500€ deposit back, please?
Thanks in advance,
Claudio
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admin: This is an issue that may need to be reported to both the Irish regulatory bodies, and the UK General Optical Council.
Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi Sasha,


After turning up optical express being hurried through a load of forms and scans and told how healthy my eyes are I parted with a £500 deposit. I left there feeling good and positive and was given various days for a surgeon consultation call, a further scan and the surgery date.

As I eagerly waited for my surgeon call during my hour slot I was given he called me minutes before the slot ended and apologised for being late. It was a WhatsApp video call which I found totally weird and unprofessional and it was basically a phone call of him bragging how good of a surgeon he was, how many eyes he’s operated on and his credentials and qualifications. The consultation with my surgeon lasted the total sum of 4 minutes. Hardly a consultation time that can suitably assess my suitability for treatment. Feeling a bit let down by the experience, I googled the surgeon and come across your site and the various lawsuits he has had against him. His name is Mohammad Ghassan Ayoubi.

Obviously a bit shaken up at this point I come to the conclusion that I don’t want to go ahead with a surgeon and company who’s reputation is in disrepute and I’m putting 2 and 2 together and seeing how I was rushed through all of the paperwork, made to feel good, all the dates booked at once, deposit taken, the surgeons consultation wasn’t a consultation but a tick box and him selling himself to me and seeing it for what it really is. 

I emailed and called optical express expressing my concerns and they don’t seem interested at all.

Can you help?

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admin: Dr Ayoubi has had a number of serious (successful) legal claims against him, and like so many other Optical Express surgeons, should not be allowed to continue operating!
Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

I'm pleased to say I got my deposit back with Sasha's help. Thank you so much Sasha - you are amazing! Keep up the good work!

Hi,
I think I have got myself into a bit of a hole and desperately need your help getting my £500 deposit back from Optical Express.
On 4th February I had an online consultation with an eye surgery clinic who said that I was not a suitable candidate for multifocal lenses due to having Type 1 Diabetes. They said that in the future I would be suitable for monofocal lenses but that currently these would leave me with worse near sightedness than I have at present. I’m 44 and she said that I needed to wait until I’m at least 50. 
I went to Optical Express in Oxford on 12th February for a second opinion. 
Abdu examined me and when I told her what the first clinic had advised, she said that no one can predict the future. She said that I shouldn’t worry about it as there are currently no signs of retinopathy, that I was a ‘perfect candidate’ for Lens Replacement surgery with Multifocal lenses. 
The salesman Callum advised me that surgery dates were filling up quickly and to guarantee I didn’t have a long wait he would book me in for a date immediately. It was all so rushed that I didn’t have time to think. 
Asked to pay a £500 deposit before I left, I struggled to enter my pin into the card reader as I still had dilating drops in my eyes. I was told that the dates could be changed or cancelled without any problems for a full refund.
On 24th February I drove to Milton Keynes for my pre op scans. I did not get to see the surgeon. 
On 10th March I had a phone consultation with Dr Saqlain-Sadiq. He said I was unsuitable for multifocals as too high a risk due to Type 1 Diabetes and previous LASEK damage. He said I could have monofocals but as I would require reading glasses he would not recommend it, and that I should not have been put forward for surgery in the first place. He said that if I decided not to go ahead with the surgery then I would receive a full refund on whatever I had paid. He said the only way he would advise going ahead with monofocals was if I had the start of a cataract, but that he would need to examine me in person.  I was totally confused as this completely contradicted what Abdu had told me about my suitability at the time I handed over my deposit. 
Soon after I got a phone call from the Essex branch asking me to pay the remaining balance for the surgery! I explained the situation but was told that if I didn’t pay in full 7 days before surgery date then it would not go ahead and I would lose my deposit.  
I refused as I wanted to talk to the Oxford branch. They were closed so I emailed Callum on 10th March explaining that if I had understood Dr Saqlain-Sadiq correctly, I would not be going ahead with the surgery.
Callum replied the next day saying he would look into it. 
I later phoned Abdu who said they had shown my results to their ‘top surgeon’, Dr Jan Venter, who apparently advises on cancellations, but isn’t working as he slipped a disc last year. He’d said I was perfectly fine to have multifocals. Abdu said the previous surgeon, Dr Sadiq, must have read my numbers wrong or got them confused! 
Callum then immediately booked me in with a different surgeon, Dr Igor Occhipinti, to have another phone consultation to see what he thought before I made up my mind. He told me this surgeon was really good and dealt with more complex cases (stressing mine was not), and that he’d done his fiancee’s surgery and she was really pleased. 
On 20th March I spoke to Igor Occhipinti over the phone. He said he had checked my notes and was happy to do the surgery with the multifocal lenses if that’s what I wanted. However, he added that in his opinion I would be safer having EDOFs instead, but that they would most likely mean I would need glasses for reading. 
This was not what I had paid my deposit for!
Igor said it was my decision which lens I went for but that EDOFs would be the safer option and his preference. 
I tried phoning the Oxford branch with my concerns on 20th, 21st and 22nd March but no one answered. 
I phoned customer services on 22nd March who said the branch was closed until Tuesday and I would need to wait until then. 
On 22nd March, I sent an email asking for my deposit back as I felt I had been given the wrong information and advice about what product would be best for me and needed more time to think.  
Abdu rang me and gave me more information on the EDOFs. She agreed they would most probably make my near vision worse but said that my near vision would get worse in the future with age anyway and this surgery was about ‘future proofing’. 
Just to add, at no point throughout this saga did anyone tell me that there was a risk that I would still need glasses even with multifocal lenses - I only discovered this through my own online research. 
I told Abdu that I needed more time to think. She said she understood but could not advise me about my deposit and that I would need to speak to Callum on Tuesday. 
By Monday 24th March I had lost all faith in OE. I still couldn’t get hold of the Oxford branch as they were closed, so I phoned customer services on the 25th March. They said that my surgery with Igor (scheduled for 12 April) had been cancelled. I asked about getting my deposit back and eventually Andrew from Retentions called me.  He said I was only entitled to £250 of my deposit refunded. I said that I expected it all back and outlined my reasons.
After being on hold for a while, Andrew told me that he had done me a huge favour fighting my case and spoken to at least ten people, directors and managers, and managed to persuade the company to refund my £500 as a ‘gesture of good will’. When I questioned the ‘good will’ he told me I should just be happy I was getting it at all!
He quite angrily insisted that I should not be questioning a man like Dr Venter and that I should take his word as gospel because he is such a renowned and experienced surgeon. 
I have never met or spoken to Dr Venter, yet I was expected to trust him over everyone else? Andrew said he had worked at OE for many years and had never heard of anyone needing glasses after multi focal lenses surgery. He said Dr Venter no longer does surgery due to a slipped disc last year, but continues to advise on cancellations. He that it was normal for the surgeons to decide the finer details of what they were going to do on the day of the surgery, and it looked like Igor planned to use a combination of lenses - not mentioned to me before!
He said the refund would take up to 28 WORKING days to come through but that he had put in a special request for it to be fast tracked but could not promise this would happen, so I shouldn’t bother chasing them as it won’t change anything. During the conversation Andrew told me that the call had been recorded. 
There is much more to this story, but at the moment I just want my £500 refunding asap! 
Please could you offer me any help or advice? 
Many thanks Kirsty
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admin: You were definitely not fully informed, and your head must be spinning with contradictory opinions from these surgeons - Jan Venter and Igor both with numerous legal claims against, them current and historic!
I look forward to hearing more, as this is possibly a case that should be reported to the General Optical Council.
Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Dear Sasha,Thank you so much for your help in getting my deposit returned. You are such a kind and honest person, and I really appreciate how quickly everything was !Best,
Gordana

Hi Sasha, 
                I had Glasgow head office on the phone laying down the law on my £500 DEPOSIT refund, quoting T&C saying they would only give me £250 . 
I then told them that i had sent emails 2 days before but had no reply to date. 
He then asked who i send the emails to and i told him the names that Sasha gave me, he then put me on hold and came back with a completely different attitude and said he would call me back. 
He did call me back and i got a full refund thank you for all your help. 

Dear Sasha,

I'm reaching out because I need some help with getting my deposit back from Optical Express. I had an initial consultation at the Guildford branch on January 22, 2025, for possible laser eye surgery. After the consultation, the optometrist told me I wasn't suitable for LASEK and suggested Refractive Lens Replacement instead.

During the consultation, the optometrist only focused on the positive things, like no risks, 20/20 vision, and no cataracts in the future. But the risks weren't really explained. He told me that I would be able to use the computer 6 hours after surgery. The sales person told me that I would be able to go home alone on public transport and just to wear sunglasses.

The surgery was priced at £7,191 with a 10% discount included and the option to pay in instalments. I was really excited about the possibility of being free from glasses and contacts since I'm both short-sighted and long-sighted and already use multiple pairs of glasses and contacts.

I paid a £500 deposit and booked my surgery for March 3, 2025. But after a very fast virtual consultation with the surgeon, Sonya Mall, on February 18, 2025, my feelings about the whole thing changed. The session felt cold and impersonal, and the surgeon didn't give clear answers to my questions. She also mentioned risks like night glare and contrast issues, which weren't mentioned before. Most importantly, I felt like she didn't treat me as a person — just another case — and didn't seem to care about my concerns.

On top of that, she contradicted what I was told in the first consultation and said I'd need a week of rest after surgery, instead of just 6 hours, like they had originally said. With all this new info and the way the session went, I immediately started rethinking my decision.

After all of this, I contacted Optical Express to cancel my surgery. They told me I'd get £250 of my deposit back within 28 days. But it's been longer than that, and I still haven't received anything.

I feel I'm entitled to a full refund since I only cancelled after the consultation with the surgeon, and Optical Express hasn't followed their own policy by not refunding me within the promised 28 days.

Could you let me know how I can go about getting the full deposit back? I'd really appreciate your help.

Thanks so much for your time!

Gordana
_________________
admin: Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi I have booked a date to get lens replacements and now after doing more research into Optical Express I have changed my mind and want my £500 deposit back. I also just found out someone i know had a settlement out of court from Optical Express and he has told me to cancel the operation. 
I went for my consultation on Tuesday 4th March at 3.00pm and felt i was forced into making the date of the 23rd March for the operation, also the Optometrist was wearing glasses which wasn’t much of a advert for Optical Express, the other thing was the surgeon Anne Marie Firan was coming up from Barnsley, so same again, if any thing was to go wrong she would be down south. Please can you help!
_________________
admin: Please send your phone number 👀
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

dear Sasha, I can’t thank you enough! I had been struggling for ages to even get a reply from Optical Express, and within less than 24 hours of reaching out to her, Sasha got my full refund sorted. She's honestly a lifesaver, and I feel so lucky to have found her. If anyone is in a similar situation and needs help, I 100% recommend reaching out to her. She is pure magic! 🥰