Adventures in Monkeyvision
Jan. 25th, 2012 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
woolymonkeyFollowed up my new year resolution and went for a first free consultation about laser eye surgery. This one was Optical Express (advantages: cheapish, local; disadvantages: alarmingly hard sell, cheapish).
Results: disappointing and confusing.
My prescription is stronger than I thought. (I was using my contact lens prescription.) So there just isn't enough cornea there for laser surgery to correct my sight without damaging my eyes.
But I could have replacement lens treatment where they replace the natural lenses inside the eye with synthetic ones. Apart from the cost (£5,500 for 2 eyes, which is more than I have to spend) it sounds surprisingly attractive for something that involves having your eyeballs sliced open. The synthetic lenses not only correct the main problem of short sight but would also stop me ever needing reading glasses (which I'm close to needing already--one reason for laser treatment was to avoid needing two different pairs of glasses). In fact, they prevent cataracts and all the age-related vision deterioration that normally comes as the lenses get cloudy, hard, or yellowy with age.
The disadvantages are obvious. Incision in eye! Cost. Has to be done in London. Twice. One trip per eye. 'Lifetime' guarantee for the first 4 years only. Optical Express sales pitch would shame a car showroom. One minute it's a totally safe procedure that's been carried out for 60 years already with no problems. The next, it's brand new cutting edge research that none of their competitors has access to, oh, and their competitors are all out of date cowboys so don't even bother going to talk to them.
I don't trust Optical Express but suspect I can't afford the others. (Probably can't afford Optical Express). And I don't like the idea of spending the monkey boys' university emergency bail out fund on correcting eyesight that is already corrected with glasses and lenses.
But I do hate my glasses and I'm finding it harder and harder to tolerate lenses. Grrrr.
When I have a bit more time, I'm planning to go have a similar conversation with Ultralase to see if they say the same things.
Results: disappointing and confusing.
My prescription is stronger than I thought. (I was using my contact lens prescription.) So there just isn't enough cornea there for laser surgery to correct my sight without damaging my eyes.
But I could have replacement lens treatment where they replace the natural lenses inside the eye with synthetic ones. Apart from the cost (£5,500 for 2 eyes, which is more than I have to spend) it sounds surprisingly attractive for something that involves having your eyeballs sliced open. The synthetic lenses not only correct the main problem of short sight but would also stop me ever needing reading glasses (which I'm close to needing already--one reason for laser treatment was to avoid needing two different pairs of glasses). In fact, they prevent cataracts and all the age-related vision deterioration that normally comes as the lenses get cloudy, hard, or yellowy with age.
The disadvantages are obvious. Incision in eye! Cost. Has to be done in London. Twice. One trip per eye. 'Lifetime' guarantee for the first 4 years only. Optical Express sales pitch would shame a car showroom. One minute it's a totally safe procedure that's been carried out for 60 years already with no problems. The next, it's brand new cutting edge research that none of their competitors has access to, oh, and their competitors are all out of date cowboys so don't even bother going to talk to them.
I don't trust Optical Express but suspect I can't afford the others. (Probably can't afford Optical Express). And I don't like the idea of spending the monkey boys' university emergency bail out fund on correcting eyesight that is already corrected with glasses and lenses.
But I do hate my glasses and I'm finding it harder and harder to tolerate lenses. Grrrr.
When I have a bit more time, I'm planning to go have a similar conversation with Ultralase to see if they say the same things.
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Date: 2012-01-25 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-26 09:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-25 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-26 09:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-25 09:15 pm (UTC)Good luck.
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Date: 2012-01-26 10:08 am (UTC)If I can have Lasek, I'll follow my sensible GP's advice. He reckons that it's not a skilled procedure so much as a matter of having the right equipment. As long as the local clinics have that, then there's no reason to add expense and complication by going to London. If I'm having lens exchange instead, then London is back on the cards. From a quick Google, Moorfields wouldn't even be much more expensive than Optical Express, and I'm sure I trust them more. But I don't think I have the money for lens exchange, even if I decide I want it.
And Moorfields charge for initial consultation so it makes sense to start by doing the rounds of the ones that do free consultations.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-26 06:15 pm (UTC)have also thought what life without the contacts and specs would be like, but not brave (or, by the sound of it, rich) enough to pursue further