Comments on: 5 Secrets of Choosing a Laser Eye Surgery Clinic

By: Dave Allamby

Dave Allamby — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:15:56 +0000

hi Stevie
People should not be guided by £395 headline prices. The reality is that quality laser eye surgery cost £3-4,000+, and you will get what you pay for on the whole.
Clinics often charge based on prescription, and there is a feeling of being intrinsically fair using this approach – those with the worst eyesight and hence the most to gain pay more than those with less poor vision.
The procedure looks the same for high prescriptions, except the excimer laser part lasts longer. What is different is the rate of enhancement, ie going back to sharpen the vision even more. The chance of this increases with increasing prescription, and so the chance of a second procedure and up to double the number of appointments. As all this extra work and cost is included in the up front fee, the prices are adjusted accordingly. So those with more straight forward prescriptions don’t pay extra to offset those with much higher refractive errors.
With best regards
Dave

By: Stevie

Stevie — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:57:54 +0000

Dear Dave,
Like most, I’ve been researching the possibility of surgery for some time, and have slowly noticed the high street optician groups introduce lower and lower ‘headline’ rates, which on consultation, are unsurprisingly nothing like the one in the window.
I get the distinct impression that the severity of the prescription defines the price charged, but I’m unaware of the link between the two? Mild or severe, the procedure is the same thing no?

By: Dave Allamby

Dave Allamby — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:44:03 +0000

Hi Jonathan
Certainly I would recommend comparing different clinics. There are primarily two kinds of clinics – the three large chains and individual clinician-owned centres. I would recommend trying one from each group and comparing the experience, level of care, time taken, and most importantly who the surgeon will be. Also, the number of patients who will be operated on the same day as yourself, which can range at different clinics from 5 up to 25+. If there aren’t any clinician-owned centres where you are, then you could visit all three of the chains before making your choice.
Best regards, Dave

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:52:51 +0000

Dear dave, I am doing a little bit of research into laser eye surgery. I have been a wearer of glasses and contact lenses for the last 7 years and was wondering on taking the plunge and getting laser eye sugery done. I have had a consultaion with one of eurpoes biggest supplier of laser eye surgery and was wondering what your advice would be, should I just stay with the one company or go to another company to compare?? Do you also know if there are some effects that could occur later on in life with deterioration of eyes from laser surgery, especially with the Lasik procedure.
many thnaks,
Jonathan