Laser eye surgery UK. Everything you need to know

About sixteen years ago I had laser surgery to correct my vision. I remember that at the time I had to wait until I was 21 before being able to have the surgery. I would like to know how things have changed since then. How has laser eye surgery progressed in all these years?

To answer my questions I contacted Tim Harwood an optometrist and specialist in laser eye surgery, who kindly answered all my questions about laser eye surgery. Tim qualified as an Optometrist in 2002 with an honours degree at the University of Manchester, and has since worked in the private sector in both the UK and Australia. Tim has also received training in laser corrective surgery and intra ocular lens implantation due to high consumer interest in this growing field.

What are the requirements nowadays for having laser eye surgery?

TH: Hi. The requirements for laser eye surgery have not changed dramatically over the past few years. The minimum age for surgery is 18 years old; although very few people at this age will actually have laser eye surgery. What is by far the most important criteria is that your eye prescription is stable. At 18 years old, most people’s eyes are changing and hence they are likely to be unsuitable. If however you are aged 18 and have had the same prescription for the past 2-3 years then in theory you would be suitable for laser eye surgery.

TH: Most people only have to have laser eye surgery once and if your vision hasn’t changed 16 years after surgery, it is unlikely to change now. As you reach your mid forties however, you are likely to need glasses for reading. This is the same regardless of whether you have had laser eye surgery or not. It is a fact of life! The laser re-treatment rate is about 8%. This means that out of 100 laser eye surgery procedures, 8 people will need to have a second treatment. Most of the clinics will do this re-treatment for free providing you are suitable.

TH: This varies widely from one clinic to another. The average cost of laser eye surgery is probably about £1100 per eye. If you are having wavefront and/or Intralase this is likely to be higher.

Where is the best place in the UK to go for laser eye surgery?

TH: This is difficult to say as a lot of it is dependent on the surgeon. Most of the clinics use similar levels of equipment and most have comparable laser eye surgery results. You should choose the clinic you feel most comfortable with. It is your eye sight after all!

TH: Wavefront is the most accurate form of laser eye surgery and can be used in conjunction with both Lasik and Lasek. A wavescan takes many precise measurements right across the surface of your cornea (this is the part of your eye that is lasered during surgery.) These measurements take into account all the tiny imperfections on the surface of your eye and this information is then used when the laser is applied. This therefore gives a more accurate result and means people having wavefront have a higher chance of achieving 20/20 vision. As well as this, people having wavefront will have better night vision following surgery compared with those having standard Lasik

TH: There are many reasons why people may be unsuitable for laser eye surgery and there are too many to mention here. There are other surgical procedures that offer an alternative and the most common ones are implantable contact lenses and refractive lens exchange.

TH: I would be extremely happy to answer any more questions on laser eye surgery or any aspects of vision correction. I would be happy to answer these question either through this hub otherwise you can visit Treatmentsaver.

There is also a laser eye surgery forum where you can ask questions to both the general public and Treatmentsaver experts.