Eye laser treatment.

I have two friends who wore milk bottle bottoms all their lives and paid to have this done in their 50s and its wonderful for them - no more horrible specs and they can see. They said money well spent but I think it should be an NHS job when it is that bad and so improves the quality of life. Lovely to hear your MIL is so happy with her procedure.

As I've said in another thread, I had corrective surgery on one eye with a laser in an outpatient clinic and didn't know it was being done! I could hear clicking and after a while my eye began to ache a little and it was only then I realised, by which time it was all over!

I've worn glasses for many years, used to wear lenses but gave up when I needed reading glasses as well as the lenses! I'm just not brave enough to have laser treatment, eyesight is the most important sense that you've got in my opinion and I wouldn't want to risk it. Wish I was braver and I wonder if perhaps it had been available 40 years ago if I would have gone for it then

Yogagran I know what you mean about risking sight. My daughter had laser surgery to correct her short-sightedness and I was wary about it. Soon after I had to have cataract surgery - not much choice there. I too have told about my experience on the Cataracts thread. Of course it's a different procedure, but about 18months after my surgery, I had a couple of very minor problems which were sorted out in minutes by laser surgery. It can hardly be called surgery really. Think of what happens when you are having your peripheral vision tested in a routine test. (That's when you see dots appearing somewhere on the screen and you have to press a button when you see the dot.) Now imagine that with red dots, fewer of them and no button to press. It's non-invasive and painless and has no after-effects apart from avoiding bright light for a couple of hours. I wouldn't dare to tell you to do it, but please be reassured enough to perhaps investigate further.

Thanks em - that's helpful, how did you go about finding a suitable place to go to have it done?

Because I'd been referred by an optician to the local NHS hospital it was all done NHS. However that was because of the cataracts. My daughter's surgery was done privately by one of the big companies and cost around £3000. She has had no problems over the last 4 years. I'll check which company it was.

People used to suffer from seeing "halos" at night and other odd things - have all these problems been sorted out now? Do you have both eyes done at the same time or one at a time

My experience is similar to em's - I wouldn't have chosen to have surgery if I hadn't needed it. Unfortunately I'm still going to the hospital regularly for checks as I've got threatened glaucoma in one eye and have to put in drops twice a day. I find the free field vision test [looking at a light and pressing a button if you see peripheral lights in different places] which I have to have each visit far more stressful than the original laser treatment though.

Yes I had the 'halos' - especially car headlights at night but didn't know that it indicated cataracts. I didn't lose the colour either. I remember my aunt (85) saying it was like watching a black and white tv then suddenly switching to colour! This was quite a few years ago so she had to 'wait until they were ready'! My problems are all sorted out! One eye done in November and the other just after Christmas nearly 2 years ago.

So did the halos come from cataracts or the laser surgery

Halos were pre-op and apparently a symptom of a cataract. None at all since op.

Thanks yet again em - we keep meeting at various posts don't we