Lazer eye surgery

I'm quite interested in hearing about this too.

I hate not being able to see properly, despite wearing contacts. But what has put me off, is that a friend of mine had it done, and 10 years later, she's back wearing glasses, because the procedure had a timespan. Whether that was because of the particular type of problem that she had (she had worn specs since childhood), I don't know.

I had mine done and wish I'd done it sooner. It is the success I thought it would be, but during the consultation they tell you that everyone's eye sight naturally declines over time and that everyone will need reading glasses at some point.

I had mine done at Optimax and the consultation was very thorough - they examined my eyes, checked my prescription and my eye health. They gave me statistics on the success rate of the particular surgery I had, which was about 98%. They even gave me contact numbers of former patients so I could ask them about their experiences if I wanted. They give you lots of information about your options so you can make an informed decision.

It's so nice not having to worry about where I've left my glasses, and I've broken so many pairs of glasses by sitting on them accidentally! Never bothered with contacts because I don't like touching my eyes.

There are different treatments and your prescription determines which one you're suitable for. I had the LASIK surgery which was very quick and completely painless (I think it was around 6 seconds of laser treatment per eye). I had it done on a Friday afternoon and was back at work on Monday! I'm not sure how fast the recovery time is for the other types of surgery or if they're painful or not.

I'd recommend just booking a consultation - most clinics should offer this for free. See what your option are and do some research into the area. Good luck!

Last time I had my eyes tested I brought up the idea of laser eye surgery. The optician told me that if I had the corrective surgery, I'd still need reading glasses. I've gone off the idea now.

Thank you grannymouse, that's really interesting to hear your success story. I will definitely look into it.

I think it only works if your problem is simply that you are short sighted. it cannot remedy the problems that arise as you get older and have difficulty with things like reading or craft work. It is also only possible if your short sight under about -4 dioptres. More than that and it is not possible. Coming from a family of severe myopics, laser surgery is not possible.

Personally, I highly recommend developing cataracts! This requires a complete lens replacement. I am/was severely shortsighted and surgeons can now replace the lens in your eye with a prescription lens. The surgeon offered me the choice of a lens that meant I would need reading glasses or one that would mean I needed glasses for distance work, like driving, going to the cinema. I opted for good near sight vision and glasses for distance so now I do not wear glasses during the day doing ordinary tasks - like posting on Gransnet.

As a follow up to this, can you now, privately of course, have vari focal lenses inserted when you have cataracts removed?

amt101, yes you can have vari focal lenses inserted after cataract removal. My surgeon didn't fit them for me because I've had ongoing inflammation in both eyes and he felt the risks outweighed the benefits. I have new lenses so no longer need glasses for distance, just for reading. It's great.

You can't have long sight done only short sight and it's probably best if not too bad and as another posted has said you may still need reading glasses I can't have it eyes too bad plus astigmatism etc etc my granddaughter can't have it as she's very long sighted however my son had it done 20 years ago when he was in his twenties it's been brilliant BUT he does now (reaching middle age)need glasses for driving