I want to make it clear that this is merely my personal experience of consultations at the Ipswich Optimax clinic and Chelmsford Ultralase clinics. If you’re trying to choose a laser eye treatment provider I strongly urge you to do your own research and go and have a few consultations with different providers.
(Ultralase = U. Optimax = O.)
Location:
O – Central Ipswich, no parking but car park is 5 minute walk and access for cars to pick up following surgery.
U – Central Chelmsford. Again no parking, but 2 min walk to car park and cars could mount pavement to collect after surgery.
Reception area:
O – Room full of cream leather chairs that remind me of airplane chairs (they look like they fold back for sleeping). Not unpleasant but not a place I’d like to spend too much time. Drink machines provided.
U – Modern, well maintained. TV, magazines and drink machines provided. Reception desk as soon as you enter the room.
Staff:
O – Receptionist who also did the tests on the machines, surgeon who does the consultation (and will also do the surgery). Both seemed a bit bored (it was 5.30pm on a Monday night) and not too enthusiastic. Surgeon did not seem interested in answering my questions – he could tell I’d researched and so didn’t bother explaining things too thorougly or checking what I'd heard.
U – Receptionist / Personal advisor, Ophthalmologist who does the tests. Answered all questions and Ophthalmologist made sure that what I’d researched was correct.
Equipment:
O – I noticed some condensation in some of the lenses used when checking my prescription. The testing machines weren't connected to a computer.
U – Seems brand new or else very well maintained. Some of the machines were plugged into a computer so the Ophthalmologist knew instantly whether to re-do the test.
Tests:
O – Completed and then had to wait to see if needed doing it again. I needed to go back at the end of my consultation to have one test repeated as it hadn’t come out clear. Receptionist was not too communicative about what was happening.
U – Did each test a few times so that there was an average result achieved. Ophthalmologist chatted to me throughout, telling me when to blink and what the results were each time.
Advice:
O – Surgeon asked what laser eye surgery I was interested in as I was apparently suitable for either LASEK or LASIK. In a split second I asked myself if I trusted this man with a microkeratome (hand held cutting device) and my cornea. The answer was no, so I said I was interested in LASEK. He advised me this was safer. He wasn’t too concerned about me working with a VDU all day.
U – The Ophthalmologist informed me that I have ‘steep eyes’ so actually Intralase or LASEK would be the most sensible options as with steep eyes the risks of flap complications are greatly increased. He advised me that using a PC all day would make LASEK the sensible option. Overall the Ophthalmologist was great at giving me advice, which was based on both his own experience of laser eye surgery, and his experience with patients.
Price:
O – Cheap. For Epi-LASEK I would be paying under £800 for both eyes.
U – Expensive. For Ultralasekplus I would be paying £2990 for both eyes.
Results:
The only appealing factor about choosing laser eye surgery with Optimax is the price. For everything else – staff, equipment, level of advice provided and my confidence in the company – Ultralase is in a completely different league.
If this was a car getting me from A to B then sure I’d choose the cheaper, old banger, option. But this is my eyesight, the quality of my vision, the quality of my life we’re talking about here.
It’s going to be Ultralase, because I’m worth it (swish of the hair).
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Consultation with Ultralase
Ultralase, Chelmsford, 2pm.
I've now had my second (and hopefully last) laser eye surgery consultation. The first with Optimax, the second Ultralase. It's fair to say I know a fair bit about my eyes now, which can only be a good thing. I'll post a detailed comparison of the two different companies and their consultations later, but for now here's the 'fly-on-the-wall' account of my experiences today...
First impressions of the Ultralase clinic are good. It has a modern, comfortable feel and instantly you feel like you're in the hands of a company that cares about giving a good impression.
I walk in and get given a form to fill out with my details and a few questions. I tick boxes to state why I'm interested in laser eye treatment (options: convenience, long-term financial benefit, sport, personal appearance, other); how long I've been interested in having laser eye surgery (options: less than 6 months, 6-12, 12-24 months, more than 2 years); what has prevented me from having laser eye surgery before now (concerns about success, finances, fear, other); and what expectations I have of laser eye surgery (complete freedom from glasses/contacts, reduced dependency from them, other). Then I have to list my main concerns today. Mine are finding out if I'm suitable, what is recommended for my prescription, and cost.
Next part of the form is health - where I list any medication I'm on and check the boxes for diabetes, history of glaucoma and all those sorts of things. Thankfully I'm pretty healthy.
Then I hand the form back and while I'm waiting I flick through a portfolio of client testimonials. I consider what a great sales tool it is to have so many snapshots of glasses-free people smiling out at you alongside their handwritten notes on how great life is with just two eyes. I try not to visualise myself amongst them just yet.
Before long the Clinician - Jay - calls me in and we start the tests. There are four machines in total and I go to each one in turn, Jay chatting away to tell me what's happening and counting so I know when to blink. I come to the conclusion that I'm a blinking addict as two of the tests we have to repeat because the results have not been clear, but Jay takes several from each machine anyway because he likes to have an average to give to the surgeon. I like his thinking.
Jay tells me as we're going that my eyes are quite steep, and already he can tell that LASEK (no cutting) and Intralase are my best choices. Bingo - they are my choices. I'm still liking his thinking.
At some point in the process drops are put in my eyes to expand the pupils. Next we head down the corridor to a standard opticians room where Jay looks at my eyes under microscopes and more tests are done (red light, green light, which line can you read without squinting, yellow drops to check for dryness, numbing drops and ultrasound to check my cornea thickness etc. etc.).
Then we start talking about my work environment and the fact that I'm prone to dry eye because I work with computers all day, he says that LASEK would be best for this as LASIK procedures (cutting the cornea) can cause dry eye problems during the healing process. He also advises that while I don't have thin corneas, my corneas are towards the thinner side of normal and if retreatment were needed (this would be free of charge) then LASEK is the much better option as less tissue is removed. Because the cornea does not regrow when it is removed, you are limited by what you have. I like the fact that he is upfront and honest about retreatment being a possibility. One of the questions I ask Jay is how long before I'll want to be back at a PC after LASEK, he tells me I won't want to be back until at least a week. I like the way he doesn't fob me off with the knowledge that all patients are different, but advises me what the average is, based on his experiences with other patients.
All the equipment used during my consultation is clinically clean and either brand new or well cared for. I'm sure I don't need to explain why this gives me peace of mind. Jay himself has had LASIK laser eye surgery three years earlier and somehow that naturally makes me feel confident that he knows what he's talking about on a personal level besides facts and figures.
I ask a few questions as we go and he really takes his time to answer my questions fully. One thing we keep coming back to is wavefront. From the research I've done I have to say I like the sound of this. Basically it's 3d mapping of the surface of the eye so the laser can make the best cutting for your individual eye, rather than a one-size-fits-all job where too much or too little might be cut away than is necessary for the best vision. Because I'm not an expert though, I'll refer you to Ultralase's webpages about wavefront: click here to read about it.
Jay shows me some as-yet unpublished statistics which can determine my chances of success. Basically I have a 99.1% chance of having driving standard vision and 81.1% chance of achieving 20/20 vision without glasses after laser eye surgery. Jay also advises me that after any laser eye surgery you should try not to evaluate the success of your surgery until at least 6 weeks after, to allow for any fluctuations and healing.
After I've asked all my questions Jay hands me over to Kate, my personal advisor, who tells me first about the procedures - things like I won't be able to let my eyes near water for 2 weeks and I should bring sunglasses on the treatment day to both protect me from the light and also to act as a physical barrier to stop me from touching my eyes. She also advises me that no matter what surgery I have, I would have a next day check up, followed by a further one at 4 to 7 days. We go over the fact that with LASEK I won't be able to drive for around 10 days.
Next we chat about her experiences and she advises that with LASEK the most uncomforable thing is the bandage lenses. I won't pretend I won't be scared if I do go ahead with LASEK laser eye surgery, but only scared of a bit of discomfort not of actually developing flap complications or of anything going wrong.
I leave the surgery with absolutely no pressure to book surgery. Jay himself recommended that I go away and think about things. So enough of all this, let me do some thinking...
I've now had my second (and hopefully last) laser eye surgery consultation. The first with Optimax, the second Ultralase. It's fair to say I know a fair bit about my eyes now, which can only be a good thing. I'll post a detailed comparison of the two different companies and their consultations later, but for now here's the 'fly-on-the-wall' account of my experiences today...
First impressions of the Ultralase clinic are good. It has a modern, comfortable feel and instantly you feel like you're in the hands of a company that cares about giving a good impression.
I walk in and get given a form to fill out with my details and a few questions. I tick boxes to state why I'm interested in laser eye treatment (options: convenience, long-term financial benefit, sport, personal appearance, other); how long I've been interested in having laser eye surgery (options: less than 6 months, 6-12, 12-24 months, more than 2 years); what has prevented me from having laser eye surgery before now (concerns about success, finances, fear, other); and what expectations I have of laser eye surgery (complete freedom from glasses/contacts, reduced dependency from them, other). Then I have to list my main concerns today. Mine are finding out if I'm suitable, what is recommended for my prescription, and cost.
Next part of the form is health - where I list any medication I'm on and check the boxes for diabetes, history of glaucoma and all those sorts of things. Thankfully I'm pretty healthy.
Then I hand the form back and while I'm waiting I flick through a portfolio of client testimonials. I consider what a great sales tool it is to have so many snapshots of glasses-free people smiling out at you alongside their handwritten notes on how great life is with just two eyes. I try not to visualise myself amongst them just yet.
Before long the Clinician - Jay - calls me in and we start the tests. There are four machines in total and I go to each one in turn, Jay chatting away to tell me what's happening and counting so I know when to blink. I come to the conclusion that I'm a blinking addict as two of the tests we have to repeat because the results have not been clear, but Jay takes several from each machine anyway because he likes to have an average to give to the surgeon. I like his thinking.
Jay tells me as we're going that my eyes are quite steep, and already he can tell that LASEK (no cutting) and Intralase are my best choices. Bingo - they are my choices. I'm still liking his thinking.
At some point in the process drops are put in my eyes to expand the pupils. Next we head down the corridor to a standard opticians room where Jay looks at my eyes under microscopes and more tests are done (red light, green light, which line can you read without squinting, yellow drops to check for dryness, numbing drops and ultrasound to check my cornea thickness etc. etc.).
Then we start talking about my work environment and the fact that I'm prone to dry eye because I work with computers all day, he says that LASEK would be best for this as LASIK procedures (cutting the cornea) can cause dry eye problems during the healing process. He also advises that while I don't have thin corneas, my corneas are towards the thinner side of normal and if retreatment were needed (this would be free of charge) then LASEK is the much better option as less tissue is removed. Because the cornea does not regrow when it is removed, you are limited by what you have. I like the fact that he is upfront and honest about retreatment being a possibility. One of the questions I ask Jay is how long before I'll want to be back at a PC after LASEK, he tells me I won't want to be back until at least a week. I like the way he doesn't fob me off with the knowledge that all patients are different, but advises me what the average is, based on his experiences with other patients.
All the equipment used during my consultation is clinically clean and either brand new or well cared for. I'm sure I don't need to explain why this gives me peace of mind. Jay himself has had LASIK laser eye surgery three years earlier and somehow that naturally makes me feel confident that he knows what he's talking about on a personal level besides facts and figures.
I ask a few questions as we go and he really takes his time to answer my questions fully. One thing we keep coming back to is wavefront. From the research I've done I have to say I like the sound of this. Basically it's 3d mapping of the surface of the eye so the laser can make the best cutting for your individual eye, rather than a one-size-fits-all job where too much or too little might be cut away than is necessary for the best vision. Because I'm not an expert though, I'll refer you to Ultralase's webpages about wavefront: click here to read about it.
Jay shows me some as-yet unpublished statistics which can determine my chances of success. Basically I have a 99.1% chance of having driving standard vision and 81.1% chance of achieving 20/20 vision without glasses after laser eye surgery. Jay also advises me that after any laser eye surgery you should try not to evaluate the success of your surgery until at least 6 weeks after, to allow for any fluctuations and healing.
After I've asked all my questions Jay hands me over to Kate, my personal advisor, who tells me first about the procedures - things like I won't be able to let my eyes near water for 2 weeks and I should bring sunglasses on the treatment day to both protect me from the light and also to act as a physical barrier to stop me from touching my eyes. She also advises me that no matter what surgery I have, I would have a next day check up, followed by a further one at 4 to 7 days. We go over the fact that with LASEK I won't be able to drive for around 10 days.
Next we chat about her experiences and she advises that with LASEK the most uncomforable thing is the bandage lenses. I won't pretend I won't be scared if I do go ahead with LASEK laser eye surgery, but only scared of a bit of discomfort not of actually developing flap complications or of anything going wrong.
I leave the surgery with absolutely no pressure to book surgery. Jay himself recommended that I go away and think about things. So enough of all this, let me do some thinking...
Monday, May 08, 2006
Intralase Laser Eye Surgery
I'm having a free consultation at the Chelmsford Ultralase clinic on Sunday. One thing I'm really keen to find out more about is the new Intralase procedure of laser eye surgery.
The reason I'm more interested in LASEK (no cutting) over LASIK (surgeon cuts cornea) is because of all the complications you can have from laser eye surgery, it's the healing and cutting of the flap that seem to cause the highest number of complications. Microkeratome, knife, whatever...I don't really like the idea of a man cutting into my eye.
Intralase then is 100% laser. Instead of a man with a knife, you get a man with a laser - or a computer with a laser - or rather, you get a man putting information into a computer, which sends it to a laser, which cuts your eye. Something clever like that.
I'm no expert, I'm only the (insert word here - genius, mug, heavenly creature) thinking about having it done. Here's a link to a site that has lots of information: http://www.intralasefacts.com/FAQ/
I've been in contact with someone who had Intralase done at the Chelmsford Ultralase clinic (thanks to the Ultralase forum) and she was really happy with it. Now I've just got to wait until Sunday to find out if I'm eligible for treatment this way.
The reason I'm more interested in LASEK (no cutting) over LASIK (surgeon cuts cornea) is because of all the complications you can have from laser eye surgery, it's the healing and cutting of the flap that seem to cause the highest number of complications. Microkeratome, knife, whatever...I don't really like the idea of a man cutting into my eye.
Intralase then is 100% laser. Instead of a man with a knife, you get a man with a laser - or a computer with a laser - or rather, you get a man putting information into a computer, which sends it to a laser, which cuts your eye. Something clever like that.
I'm no expert, I'm only the (insert word here - genius, mug, heavenly creature) thinking about having it done. Here's a link to a site that has lots of information: http://www.intralasefacts.com/FAQ/
I've been in contact with someone who had Intralase done at the Chelmsford Ultralase clinic (thanks to the Ultralase forum) and she was really happy with it. Now I've just got to wait until Sunday to find out if I'm eligible for treatment this way.
Friday, May 05, 2006
The Cost of Laser Eye surgery
Numbers aren't my strong point. My other half would undoubtedly agree that being frugal with my pennies isn’t my strong point either - I know how to make money but I know how to spend it too.
One thing a few people have said to me about having laser eye surgery is that it’s expensive (as if glasses and contacts are cheaper). Now forgive me for a moment while I go a bit mathematical on you, but let’s just think about this:
I’m 25. If I had successful laser eye surgery it should hopefully last until I reach at least 40-45, after which I’ll get presbyopia or old-age shortsightedness as every good sighted person does. So at minimum that should be 15 years of good sight.
At a bare minimum I would want to update my glasses every 4 years, and the most recent pair cost me £200.
Now the maths bit: (For the sake of my simple brain I’m now going to round up my years of good sight to 16)
With a change of glasses every 4 years that would mean 4 pairs of glasses, which seems like an obscenely small amount. That’s £800. 4 years is a long time to wear the same piece of furniture on your face every single day. Some people have ‘going out’ specs and ‘office wear’ specs etc. I don’t do that but I can see the attraction. (Must point this out to other half later to show that I AM frugal with my money thank you very much!)
So where was I… oh yes, £800 on glasses. Now what about contact lenses?
I currently pay at least £20 a month for monthly contact lenses and solutions.
That’s £240 a year. Over 16 years that comes out at £2880.
That’s £3680, and realistically glasses get broken, scratched, go out of fashion and just get boring – so this is likely to be just a starting figure for realistic costings.
Now, how much does laser eye surgery cost? Ultralase quote basic LASIK or LASEK at £1990 for both eyes.
Conclusion of this experiment: Yes, as a lump sum laser eye surgery would be expensive, but over the years it actually works out cheaper than glasses and contact lenses as a method of correcting my vision.
One thing a few people have said to me about having laser eye surgery is that it’s expensive (as if glasses and contacts are cheaper). Now forgive me for a moment while I go a bit mathematical on you, but let’s just think about this:
I’m 25. If I had successful laser eye surgery it should hopefully last until I reach at least 40-45, after which I’ll get presbyopia or old-age shortsightedness as every good sighted person does. So at minimum that should be 15 years of good sight.
At a bare minimum I would want to update my glasses every 4 years, and the most recent pair cost me £200.
Now the maths bit: (For the sake of my simple brain I’m now going to round up my years of good sight to 16)
With a change of glasses every 4 years that would mean 4 pairs of glasses, which seems like an obscenely small amount. That’s £800. 4 years is a long time to wear the same piece of furniture on your face every single day. Some people have ‘going out’ specs and ‘office wear’ specs etc. I don’t do that but I can see the attraction. (Must point this out to other half later to show that I AM frugal with my money thank you very much!)
So where was I… oh yes, £800 on glasses. Now what about contact lenses?
I currently pay at least £20 a month for monthly contact lenses and solutions.
That’s £240 a year. Over 16 years that comes out at £2880.
That’s £3680, and realistically glasses get broken, scratched, go out of fashion and just get boring – so this is likely to be just a starting figure for realistic costings.
Now, how much does laser eye surgery cost? Ultralase quote basic LASIK or LASEK at £1990 for both eyes.
Conclusion of this experiment: Yes, as a lump sum laser eye surgery would be expensive, but over the years it actually works out cheaper than glasses and contact lenses as a method of correcting my vision.
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