is it worth the risk? (LASIK Treatments)

Member Name: thirdeye

Product:	LASIK Treatments
Date:	24/12/02 (2472 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no more contacts or specs, rapid recovery

Disadvantages: risks, cost

LASIK (Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis) is a surgical procedure which involves the cutting of a thin layer of the cornea, leaving a hinged flap which is lifted and folded back from the eye; a pre-programmed excimer laser then reshapes the outer layer of the exposed cornea before the flap is replaced.

I won?t go into detail regarding the other options for surgical vision correction, such as PRK, LASEK and LTK, or this opinion will be far too long. Also, as the number of clinics and hospitals now offering LASIK treatment is so extensive, I?ll avoid listing all of them and will focus on my personal experience. If you are considering treatment yourself, there is an abundance of information available on-line - a couple of sites you may find useful can be found at www.lasik1.com and www.lcrs.co.uk.

I was interested in surgical correction as a permanent option to release me from having to wear spectacles or contact lenses and LASIK appealed more than the other procedures as it appeared to carry less risk and virtually no pain. I chose to have my treatment at Boots primarily because I felt I could trust the company; not only have I been shopping there for more years than I care to remember, I have always been delighted with their opticians and dentists. I was also impressed with the technology - they use a unique radar tracked laser system which, apparently, is only available to Boots in the UK, and a pupillometer to measure the pupils at varying light levels to minimise the risk of post-operative glare. Furthermore, it was convenient for me to attend the Laser Eye Clinic in Manchester.

I?m ashamed to admit now that I didn?t do nearly enough research into the risks - I found the above web sites AFTER I?d had the treatment. I spoke to a few business colleagues who either had had the treatment themselves or knew someone who had and the general consensus was that PRK was incredibly painful and the healing time was unsatisfactorily long. One individual
had PRK surgery on one eye and found it so difficult to manage the pain afterwards that he has not had treatment for the other eye and has been wearing a single contact lens for over a year since.

Having read about the Boots service in a magazine, I checked out their website, then picked up an information pack; I had an eyesight test, as directed, to confirm my prescription, and booked my free LASIK consultation. The price of the treatment, £1,250.00 per eye, was not as important to me as choosing to have this surgery undertaken at a place I was comfortable with and had some confidence in. However, I did look at a few other sites to check on prices and get a feel for what they were offering. The charges do vary: £999 per eye with Ultralase; £1,250 per eye with Accuvision; and £1,890 for both eyes with Maxivision who have a ?Refer a Friend? cash offer which I found quite off-putting.

The purpose built Manchester clinic is located on the 2nd floor of the Boots store in the city centre - they also have clinics in Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Reading and London, with more planned in the future. The reception area is large and comfortable, with a plentiful supply of hot and cold liquid refreshment for both patients and accompanying friends and relatives, and the staff are extremely welcoming, going to great lengths to put you at ease. My initial consultation lasted about 2 hours in total and in addition to the expected eyesight tests it also included having anaesthetic drops in my eyes and drops to dilate my pupils. The session with the surgeon was the most helpful as I had the opportunity to ask lots of questions as well as being assessed as a potential candidate for the LASIK treatment.

Suitability is dependent on a number of variables: prescription, stability of vision, age, corneal thickness, pupil size and general health are all considerations. I had been myopic (short-sighted), with a slight astigmatism (imperfectly curved c
ornea), for over 20 years; had an unchanged prescription of -5.0 and -4.5 for about 4 years; am over 20 years old (not giving too much away there!); my corneal thickness and dilated pupil size were within the acceptable range and I was judged to be in general good health, so I was accepted for treatment. It was made clear to me that I had at least a 90% chance of achieving 20/20 vision (the odds are higher than this for weaker myopia) and that there was minimal risk of any complications as there were no contraindications in my case.

I hadn?t been at all worried, I really wanted to have this done, but on the day of treatment I was really nervous (my beloved?s speculation on whether I?d be able to smell my own eyeballs burning may have been amusing afterwards but I wasn?t laughing then), and I became increasingly anxious as my mind was dwelling on the risks I?d heard about: regression; infection; night vision reduction (glare) making it unsafe to drive; inaccurate pre-op data entry meaning the laser isn?t programmed correctly; torn corneal flaps; drooping eyelids; bulging corneas ? but I managed to calm myself sufficiently to go in.

Upon arrival, I firstly had to sign a consent form and pay the £2,500, then I had a number of diagnostic tests, similar to those I had had during the consultation 2 weeks previously, and had the anaesthetic eye drops and the drops to dilate my pupils. I was given my aftercare pack, along with verbal and written instructions for use, and talked through a list of do?s and don?ts (no contact sport, no swimming, no hair washing, no cosmetics, etc), and finally I was taken into the treatment room.

I lay down on the bed with a nurse at the ready to hold my hand if I got scared. The bed slid into position and I closed my left eye whilst the right eye was treated first. The most uncomfortable part for me was the placing of the speculum around the eye to hold it open and the application of the suction plate to keep my e
yeball in place ready for the corneal slicing. I couldn?t feel anything when the cold laser beam pulsed for a matter of seconds (and yes, there was an unpleasant burning smell). Next the surgeon washed my eye and replaced the corneal flap before taping a protective goggle to my face and repeating the entire procedure for my left eye. It wasn?t as bad as I thought it would be, the surgeon talked to me constantly, explaining what was happening and reassuring me everything was going well. When I sat up, and despite the tears pouring down my face and the goggles restricting my vision, I could see the time on the clock so I knew it had worked.

In the dimly lit recovery room, I was joined by my partner and we drank coffee and chatted for about half an hour until the surgeon saw me to check everything was ok - it was, and I was able to go home. Walking across the centre of Manchester with my eyes closed was a bit disconcerting but, unfortunately for me, it was a beautifully sunny day and it literally hurt to open my eyes so I held on to my boyfriend?s arm and let him lead me back to the car.

After getting home, and phoning my parents to alleviate their fears that their daughter may be blinded, I followed the recommendations I?d been given and went to bed with my protective goggles firmly in place and dozed for a couple of hours. When I awoke I found that I was able to watch a little TV (with the brightness turned down) and other than the slight discomfort of my eyes watering continuously, I didn?t experience any pain and therefore did not feel the need to use the topical anaesthetic drops I had been given in my aftercare pack .

Next morning ... I couldn?t wait to remove the goggles ... hurray! I could see perfectly and my eyes looked fine ... I was absolutely delighted. I had no problems using the antibiotic drops and wetting drops 3 times a day and sleeping with the protective goggles in place (to stop me rubbing my eyes and dislodging the corn
eal flap) was less difficult than anticipated . The only downside was that I was allergic to the sticky tape they?d used in the clinic to affix my goggles so I had a hideous red rash across my forehead and cheeks, not particularly alluring when combined with the fact that I wasn?t permitted to use any cosmetics or wash my hair for at least a week.

I attended my first follow up appointment 2 days later (I was given an emergency contact number to use if I had any problems in the meantime) and was thrilled to find I had no signs of complications, better than 20/20 vision in both eyes, and could drive without the need to wear glasses. Unhappily though, this didn?t last. It was a couple of weeks later when I realised that I could no longer focus properly, making it difficult to read, drive, and watch television. I told the optometrist about this when I attended my 1 month follow up examination but it wasn?t considered a problem; although the sight in my right eye had regressed slightly, I still had 20:20 vision, and I was told it was quite normal for the eyesight to vary during the healing process. Ever the optimist, I left thinking that it might get better again.

Over the course of the next 2 months, I was obsessed with covering over my left eye to check my vision in the right one. It was getting worse, and by the time of my 3 month follow up appointment I was getting headaches when trying to focus on anything in the distance and my vision was slightly blurred in the right eye. My check up revealed a -1.0 prescription in the right eye so I was given the choice: live with it, or consider a free re-treatment (aka enhancement) of the right eye. This is when I learned from the surgeon that approximately 4% of patients require a second treatment and one patient had even had three! Having the surgery again is not considered as risky because the cornea is not cut a second time, the existing flap is lifted (that never ?heals? then, I realised) and the laser is
used to make the correction. I decided to have it done.

I was told to expect a little more discomfort this time - I?m glad they warned me because it hurt like hell when the anaesthetic wore off and I felt quite sick. Still, I was fine the next day, as confirmed by my check up, and my perfect vision was restored so I was glad that I?d gone through with it - I just hoped it was going to stay that way. Thankfully, my 1 month and 3 month follow ups have established that my vision has remained stable at 20/20 in both eyes, I am fortunate not to suffer from dryness and stopped using the wetting drops a few weeks ago, and I don?t have any apparent loss of ?night vision?. Yesterday I was ?signed off? with no need for a further eyesight test for 2 years, as normal, though it was emphasised that I should contact the clinic if I do experience any problems.

I still smile in the morning when I open my eyes and remember that I don?t need to reach for my spectacles before I do anything else; the digital clock is no longer a green blur on the other side of the room; I don?t have to squint to read the labels on my toiletries on the edge of the bath and I don?t need to put contact lenses in before I can apply my makeup.

Throughout the whole process I found all of the staff at the clinic extremely pleasant and helpful and I would recommend a consultation with Boots to anyone who is considering laser eye surgery. However, I cannot stress enough that you should thoroughly research this subject before electing to go ahead. It should also be recognised that the long term effects of LASIK cannot be assessed as the treatment has only been available for around 10 years. Having recently discovered the number of websites detailing the possible complications, (www.laserdisaster.com makes for particularly horrendous reading), some of which may not manifest themselves for several months or even years, I am now more fully aware of the known risks involved and as a cons
equence am not entirely comfortable about recommending the surgery - hence the ?average? rating.

For me, it?s so far, so good, and I am truly delighted with the results, but if complications do arise with my eyes in the future, will I feel that the ability to see clearly without specs or contact lenses for a few years has been worth it?

Thanks for reading - I hope you've found this useful.

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