Hello i am having laser eye surgery on Friday 11.30am eeek!! to hopefully correct my longsight, although i will still need glasses for reading,( its an age thing!!) has anybody had this surgery and if so how was it? i am petrified!!! It has taken me 2yrs to pluck up the courage to have it done and as im getting nearer to friday i want to run away! I know .... im a wuss i admit it! Also if you have had it done, where? Thanks.

I recently had laser surgery on my eye, it wasn't sight correction but for a retinal tear (so was aimed at the back of the eye rather than the lens part).   So it was on a different part of the eye but I would have thought the process would be very similar.

I was absolutely terrified, but as it was carried out as an emergency I was more frightened about the prospect of a retinal detachment, and had very little time to think about the laser surgery aspect. 

This was carried out in a NHS hospital and they were absolutely brilliant, I cannot begin to express how grateful I was, and still am, to them.

It didn't hurt at all (and I am a class one coward about pain), the hardest part was keeping my eye still (they made me focus the other eye on something and I had to keep very still). 

This is what happened to me: I was given local anaesthetic by eye drops beforehand and during the surgery my eye was held open with a sort of large plastic lens. All I was aware of was a very bright green light flashing, and the machine made a sort of pinging noise.  The surgery I had took about 10 minutes to carry out.  Immediately afterwards I had a scary moment as I couldn't see anything out of my eye, but this was just due to the bright green light flashes, and my sight started returning within minutes (this tempory blindness might not happen with surgery directed at the front of the eye, but for my surgery the laser was working on the back of the eye, on the part of the eye that shows you the "picture").

I am a complete coward about pain, and to be honest I didn't have time to think much about the laser surgery, as it was carried out in an emergency.  If I had had to wait a few days I would probably have worked myself up into a state of total terror!  But my experience of the laser surgery was that it was a bit uncomfortable (eye being held open, keeping eye still, bright light) but painless. 

Hope this helps. Perhaps someone who has had the sight correction surgery will be able to reassure you even more.   Good luck for Friday! :)

I had it done about 10 years ago and it was a breeze, and I'm a coward! After about three years though my eyesight regressed and is now worse than before, so don't think it lasts forever.

Are you long sighted? i was told that was what could happen when you are long sighted, i think its more succesful in short sight. ( i am longsighted) Did you not think of having it done again or was that not an option because of your prescription? Thanks for you replies. :-)

My MIL had to have an operation for cateracts and the surgon suggested that while they were at it they correct her sight. She was back playing tennis without glasses within a couple of weeks and it really has given her a new lease of life. She now plays tennis for the county at over 45, over 55 and over 65! She had a stigmatism and short sight corrected but still wears glasses for reading. She was offered something to relax her if she felt worried and said it was all over really quickly and compleatly painless.

Ouch sounded bad  Daisygirl , hope you are ok now, you were very brave!! although you didnt have a choice! crikey and im paying for it!! LOL!!  thanks for your good luck message and reassurance i will post back after firday ( when i can see well enough) and let you know how it went!

Im usually quite brave with things but there is just something about having your eyes touched, dont know what it is . ... makes me very queezy!!

I had Lasek done 2 years ago, not the best experience I have gone through but worth it none the less.  It did not hurt, but I was so frightened I think those feelings took over.

I believe Lasik is far better and your back at work the next day.  I had to have 2 weeks off to recover from Lasek as they have to disolve the cells and you have to wait for them to re-grow.

I went to Ultralase in Guildford for mine.  Everything is still okay and I have 20/20 vision.

PM if you want any more info.

Juliet

No I'm short sighted. I wouldn't bother having it done again, even if I could afford it!

It's really expensive isn't it?

Its not cheap, i found Ultrlase was more expensive than Optimax, but i rang Optimax and got a short notice cancellation so getting both eyes done for the price of one!! still, at short notice not as much time to worry i suppose!! 3 days without sleep is enough for me!! LOL!!! Also i knew somebody that had it done at Optimax and is quite happy . Felt happier on a reccomendation.
:-D

I had mine done at Optimax too :-)

Well i did it!!!! i feel so proud of myself!! and it wasnt as bad as i thought , really quick 10 mins thats all, a bit of discomfort for a couple of hours after thats all, i am actually typing this without glasses on!!!! :-) :-)

i had surgery through optimax,in feb this year,the op was nothing,it was the afterpains i suffered with,but they give you phenegan to sleep and pain killers,i slept for nearly 3 days couldnt open my eyes at all,but i would go through it all again now,def worth a few days of pain,everyone has a different pain threshhold.i actually cried making the appointment i was so scared of my eyes going wrong,so i was sent to doctors for valium,it was a god send took one 15 mins before the op and was so chilled out i didnt know they had done.
good luck
melanie :)