Laser treatment

[Iggy]

Well, I've got a big birthday looming later this year and having gone through the thoughts of treating myself to a shiny new gun (did that last year and still happy) I'm seriously considering having my eyes lasered in the hope that I might be able to hit something. 

My prescription isn't too severe, short sighted in one eye and long sighted in the other but very mild and I'm currently coping with prescription Zeiss shooting specs.

The main motivator isn't shooting to be honest, it's everyday life...I've tried both contacts and varifocals but struggling to get on with them and I reckon if I can get the 20/20 vision the adverts claim then it can only be good and a positive benefit to my shooting as well.

Ive seen several different types on offer LASIK etc but what are the differences.....also are there any companies better than others...optical express, optimax etc.....some look like chains?

Im based in Stoke so fairly central and don't mind travelling to get the proper treatment.

Any advice gratefully received and thanks in advance.

 

[Salopian]

I currently have an eye issue which is receiving NHS treatment, been going on for three months, Ed Lyons knows me and often emails me to see if I am making any progress or improving. 

I would recommend Ed Lyons to anyone for eye issues .

Why not have a consultation with him or one of his colleagues? 

 

[CharlesP]

I suspect there's more to it than a quick zap, hand over your credit card and all your vision problems have disappeared!

A consultation with Ed Lyons is absolutely the best idea. 

Ordinary opticians aren't the ones to listen to when you're talking about the issues surrounding vision and clay shooting. What's right for general everyday vision can be woefully off beam for shooting (or indeed many sports). Especially when they're trying to sell you something. They simply have no real understanding of the specifics. Mr Lyons and his colleagues do understand, and will advise accordingly.

 

[EdLyons]

Laser surgery these days is so much better than it used to be, the process is far more elegantly performed and the overall results are generally very good indeed and i see far fewer people who have any problems of note.

However, the visual needs of the sportsperson are typically far higher than those of the general population, so sometimes errors or aberrations that may go unnoticed in everyday life may have more dramatic effects upon the shooter.

If it goes wrong, the ramifications can be slightly annoying, i.e., dry eyes, halos driving at night, watery eyes, or utterly disastrous and life changing - i've treated a few clients who have had to go through the process of corneal graft surgery and other issues due to failed laser. These cases of course are very much the extremes, but there is still a chance that all may not go to plan.

This was demonstrated to me at a recent training meeting with an eminent refractive surgeon who delivered his lecture wearing his specs... I always aim to get the best result we can through contact lenses, and if we are still limited then there are surgical options that can be discussed.

As with most things, there is a cost association with quality - find THE most expensive surgeon you can, go to a private hospital such as Nuffield Health and go for Wavefront...avoid like the plague the high street in/out chains - there have been numerous law suits thrown at these guys for shoddy work, unhygienic surgery, uncalibrated laser, the works...

Also, ask for both eyes to be corrected for distance - some surgeons try to "do you a favour" and leave one eye a bit myopic to help with reading, if they do that to your shooting eye it will cause the obvious problems!

 

[Doctor Lecter]

I have researched  laser eye surgery , and asked several doctors  on the subject  ( as I work in a hospital )   they say pretty much the same as ed lyons post above , however I have had a consultation and was recommended for  lenses to be fitted  20/20 vision or better for distance  , but I would need reading glasses  , no problem  as long as I can drive , shoot  etc ,   but to be honest  I wear daily disposables contact lenses  for distance  and achieve  20/20  im told ?     so I will hang fire with the surgery  ( no pun intended )  . 

 

[maddmatt]

I looked in to this around 15 years ago, figured the best people to speak to were Moorfields Eye Hospital, spoke to a leading consultant (can't remember his name), he asked for my prescription, I sent it over and he asked me what I thought the procedure would give me in terms of correction? I said 20/20 and he said laser is not for you - due to the prescription. He did however recommend a guy in Harley Street (can't remember his name either), who performed radial keratotomy, basically they use a computer to work out where to stick a diamond scalpel, so when the cuts heal it corrects your eyesight. Procedure went well on both eyes and gave me better than 20/20 - Listen to ED, he knows what he is talking about and your eyes are serious bits of kit 

 

[westley]

I had laser treatment to both eyes over an 18 month period back in the 90's.  Mine was both a self preservation and a shooting issue, along with all of the other handicaps of specs or contacts. It finally came to a head after losing my right contact about 2 miles out on the Marsh ! (I am right handed/.master eyed). After a chat with a GP friend, who informed me that his receptionists had both had laser treatment at the newly opened Opimax clinic in Manchester, I finally booked an appointment. After the usual eye tests for suitability, I was told that they would NOT be able to get my left eye vision perfect, but the right eye should be spot on. I went away and gave it some thought and then decided to have the treatment. I have to say at no time did Optimax try the hard sell, in fact quite the opposite AND they were making the point about my needing reading glasses, after the treatment. The left eye was the first to be done and apart from the discomfort of the eye being clamped open, the whole process was swift and painless...............................until the anaesthetic wore off. By then I was back home. It felt like I had a bucket of sand in my eye. Using the drops and painkillers supplied, it took around 5 days for the irritation to ease. I could have returned to work after a week, but due to the risk of getting thumped in the eye, I had a month off work.  I returned after a 12 month period for the right eye to be done. After a suitable time for both eyes to settle down, it transpired that my right eye has come out perfect and the left almost perfect. I do need reading glasses now, or if my Wife stands at the bottom of the garden holding the newspaper, it's OK, but I can live with that.  It has cost a vast sum of money since though, I used to have purpose made prescription glasses with clear lenses for shooting, a one off purchase. Since the laser treatment I have had Hi-Scorers, Oakley and finally succumbed to the dreaded Pilla !!!!        As already suggested, it would pay to have a trip to see Ed and be guided by him, but he was still at school when my eyes were done  !  I can only say that to date,  I have suffered no ill effects from the laser treatment and I have 12 monthly eye checks, in fact I have never looked back (sorry).

P.S.    Forgot to mention that prior to the laser job, 2 seperate Opticians tried to talk me out of having the ops.

 

[Iggy]

Thanks very myuch indeed for all the replies folks, it's much appreciated. Looks like there is more to it than meets the eye (shocking pun opportunity) so probably best to approach with a bit of caution. 

Ed, out of interested you offer the surgery or not?

 

[EdLyons]

Ed, out of interested you offer the surgery or not?

Not personally no but i can recommend some surgeons in the Midlands area...

 

[Iggy]

Not personally no but i can recommend some surgeons in the Midlands area...

Thanks Ed, any recommendations from you would be very much appreciated. 

Thanks again. 

 

[PhilR]

I had Ultralase in Leeds do both my eyes with LASIK in 2000. My prescription was -6.5 and -5.5 in L and R eyes with astigmatism in both.  My shooting glass lenses looked like the bottom of milk bottles, for those of you who remember them.  Sixteen years on I have a modest prescription in both lenses just to crisp things up, plus they're varifocals for the dreaded age related reading problems.

It was the best thing I've ever had done and has transformed my life in so many ways for the better.

 

[EdLyons]

Thanks Ed, any recommendations from you would be very much appreciated. 

Thanks again. 

Sure - Bal Illango at Wolverhampton Nuffield and Sunil Shah at the Midland Eye Institute are both excellent.

 

[Iggy]

Sure - Bal Illango at Wolverhampton Nuffield and Sunil Shah at the Midland Eye Institute are both excellent.

Thank you very much Ed, I'll make some enquiries.