Optimax

I’ve finally gotten to the stage where I am just sick of wearing glasses all the time, and sick of having to pay £90 every time I change my lenses. I was happy when I could wear contacts, but over the last year I started to react to them most severely, so I can only wear them once or twice a week for only 4 to 5 hours at a time. Pain in the behind, I say!
Upon several recommendations throughout the internet, I went along for a free consultation with Optimax on Saturday (I say free, but you pay an amount to secure your appointment which is refunded afterwards). I was drawn to Optimax because their procedures are carried out by actual surgeons, and their aftercare has been rated very highly by previous patients. I wanted to avoid Optical Express like the plague after I’ve heard some horror stories from them…
Anyway, I was quite reassured when I went along. I was invited to make myself comfortable in the waiting area (which was pretty fancy schmancy looking) and to help myself to a beverage from the machine. I wasn’t waiting very long before I was filling out a medical history survey, and providing my GP and next of kin details to complete my patient profile. Just after that, a technician took me into a room to measure using at least 8 different machines to take full measurements of my eyes, curvature, and pressure sensitivity (measure corneal thickness). It was all very thorough. After that, I went in with the optician for a standard eye test so that they could verify my prescription in the usual way.
The optician and the technician /​sales person were very honest with me. They let me know that their treatments are usually about £1000 per eye regardless of prescription because the same treatments are given to everyone. Besides, I know that nobody gets the cheap deal that every other place is harping on about and fully expected that a procedure would be expensive.
The procedure I was recommended for was LASEK, which is the one with a lot of pain and a two week recovery time. This was because I have very large pupils and dry eyes, so LASIK (the one with the incision) would have caused star bursting and glare in low light because the scar tissue would be just about visible to me, and also LASIK can worsen dry eye because the nerve for the tear response can sever. I also have a very strong prescription, and they’d have to zap my eyes more to get the right result. LASEK would have fewer side effects, but they did not at any stage play down the level of discomfort, but the results for this surgery are better for people in my prescription range in the long term.
I was given a profile on my surgeon, so I could check his track history if I so wished, and I was also given the numbers of previous patients of similar age and similar prescription so that I could question them if I so wished (all with their permission), along with the results of their surgery — it showed prior prescriptions and post-​surgery prescriptions. They recommended that I do my own research on the procedure to decide if I really want to go ahead.
My price category was somewhere in the region of £2800 for the procedure (including a discount I receive from being refered from a previous patient), which I was fully expecting, but was advised that a 0% finance interest scheme was available for up to 2 years, which worked out around £80 per month over that period of time.
They did recommend that I provisionally book myself for a surgery, but they were aware that I was looking to wait at least 3 months, but again it was a very non-​aggressive sales tactic. They didn’t push me, and didn’t have dates as far ahead as I wanted just yet anyway. I felt the experience was quite pleasant, although the photosensitivity from the eye drops was a bit of a pain afterwards. Felt like a mole person! If you go, take sunglasses… I didn’t and had to go around squinting until I got to the underground station to go home to a dark room! That was my own poor judgement, as the lady on the phone who booked me in recommended I bring a pair of sunnies, and I forgot to lift them.
I’m sure if I decide to go ahead with the surgery, I’ll be able to provide a more rounded review, but so far these guys are looking very appealing.