Cheaper Eye Surgery

[dieseldick]

i have an appointment at optical express, eye surgery starts from £595 per eye , which i think is a great price if it goes well and eye can see perfect again.

are there any cheaper options in uk ? obviously this method is all the same so there maybe a cheaper alternative clinic which does it.

also , can you get only one eye done at a time.

[bednobs]

it's the "starts from" that worries me - you can bet the surgery you want won't be tht price

[albaqwerty]

Had a quote from O.E a few years back, £ 2000 per eye,
new glasses £75 will do me fine thank you.

[hc4361]

My quote from that company was £3k per eye. Yes, you can get one eye done at a time but I bet it costs more

[woofgang]

Does anybody else get a shiver at the thought of budget surgery on eyes?

[gingejbee]

^^^ shiver at ANY surgery on my eyes...

[TheChair]

The reason for the discrepancy between the "from" price and the actual price is that the "from" price is usually calculated for a straightforward (i.e no astigmatism) .5 dioptre correction. If that's all you need, then it's barely (if at all) worth the risk that always goes with surgery.

For actual cases, the charge is generally much, much higher, although the work involved is essentially identical: computer calculates the curve to apply from a scan, and computer controls the laser to apply the correction.

The state of the industry in terms of pricing at the moment is comparable to that of the double-glazing industry in the 70's and 80's.

[jno]

what is this, laser surgery? Anything to do with eyes I'd have only one done at a time.

[furrypusscat]

Is this just for cosmetic purposes. I wouldn't have any surgery done that wasn't necessary. Some years ago I underwent cataract surgery on the NHS which was necessary. Please remember, you only have one pair of eyes.

[hc4361]

As I have since developed problems with my eyes I cannot have any type of correction surgery.

If I could I would opt for lens replacement as vision does not deteriorate over time as it does with laser.

[jennyjoan]

Hi Die - my next door neighbour got both eyes done at the same time some years back BUT it wasn't a success - she is wearing glasses now. A waste of £2,000-£3,000 (don't really know what she paid) but around that price.

Bit of a risk there.

[frazer_d]

If you only have one eye done you will still require glasses to correct the vision of the 'bad' eye. What's the point of that??

I had laser surgery on both eyes 14 years ago. The were glasses free and I would recommend it to anyone - but (and there always a but isn't there?) I have suffered with dry eye ever since. It's a risk, and mentioned in the (very) small print on the documents you will sign. Unfortunately I had a detached retina a couple of years ago and the corrective surgery largely cancelled out the laser advantage. Both eyes then developed cataracts (I'm 64) and so I'm back to glasses for reading. But I would still go through it all again just to have a few years of no glasses. The cost then was £3.5k for both eyes, and worth every penny to wake up and see right across the room without having to fumble for your glasses - to read the clock right next to you!

[hc4361]

When laser eye surgery first became available they would only do one eye at a time so that if things went wrong you'd still have one working eye.

Some people have one eye done and then the eyes train themselves so that one focuses on distance and the other on near vision.

https://www.optimax.co.uk/treatments_explained/monovision_surgery/

[gingejbee]

^^^frazer....OP did say "one eye done AT A TIME".

Obviously people differ in their attitude to wearing spectacles...but is it that great a hardship to wear them, or is it perhaps down to vanity?
I've never really thought of it as any sort of inconvenience to wear specs.

[dieseldick]

When laser eye surgery first became available they would only do one eye at a time so that if things went wrong you'd still have one working eye.

Some people have one eye done and then the eyes train themselves so that one focuses on distance and the other on near vision.

https://www.optimax.co.uk/treatments_explained/monovision_surgery/

exactly h4c, i want only one eye done at a time, if i had one eye done for reading only then i wouldnt need 2 eyes done because i only wear glasses for reading.

[hc4361]

That's called monovision laser eye surgery, dick. You really should try out monovision contact lenses to make sure you are satisfied with the results before you commit to surgery.

[david small]

My sister in the U.S. Had both eyes done separately. She was offered a choice. No glasses for reading, or no glasses for normal viewing, driving etc. She could also choose the more expensive option of correction of both viewing choice.
She went for the more expensive option. Two op's later, all well. No glasses required at any time. She is sixty years old.cost about five thousand dollars.

[Hopkirk]

It can't be 100% successful, and I wouldn't want to be the failure.

[hc4361]

I have to wear glasses from the minute I open my eyes in the morning until I'm tucked up in bed. I certainly would not consider surgery on healthy eyes if I needed glasses only for reading

[Peter Pedant]

jesus- if you cut the price you get better quality.....

why not say - if you cut out the anaesthetic, will you knock off two hundred quid ?

there may well be cheaper options in Thailand and Amman ( big places for medical tourism )

[woofgang]

I had a work colleague who had eye surgery. She wore contacts for years till her allergies stopped that, then her skin broke out on the bridge of her nose where her glasses sat so she ran out of choices....she didn’t go for the budget service though and her husband was a consultant anaesthetist so she was able to get the low down on whose success rates were best.