Visualase Lasik

I lost all my reading vision, now I need reading glasses to use my phone! My eyes feel so dry all the time, its so painful. When will this end?!

I really don't recommend laser eye surgery to anyone. Better to stick to glasses I think.

In July 2011, Visualase Bolton (Hilary Smith) sent me the following offer

"You recently entered our competition to win free laser eye treatment.

Unfortunately your name wasn’t drawn, however we can still offer you an amazing price for your treatment.

The cost of customised Wavefront guided LASIK is £2,390 – but you will only pay £1,500"

I proceeded to undergo the treatment in October 2011, after doing my right eye, I was found to have a loose epithelium, and decided not to have my left eye done. After doing my right eye I noticed severe night and low light issues and was told this was absolutely normal and they had run all their tests and everything was fine, just taking time to heal due to the loose epithelium. I allowed them to do my left eye (lasek) in February 2012.. instantly I knew something was wrong as I now had the same low-light issues in both eyes.

The problems I experience are tremendous amounts of glare and starbursts in both eyes, this is during the day when in doors, under artificial lighting in doors and at night its at its worse, horrendous starburst, glare, and double vision.

I went back to the clinic 3 times, I saw their optometrist Angela who claimed I had dry eye. The next week I saw Dr Doyle who told me I was simply over corrected and not to worry, the week after that I saw Dr Hynnes who couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and told me my brain would simply adapt.

I asked Hilary Smith the clinic manager to pay for a second opinion at Moorfields, who refused and told me that there was nothing wrong with me. She arrogantly told me that her 'surgeons had done 30,000 eyes between them and they have seen it all'

I went to see a Professor at Moorfields eye hospital, who told me they never gave me the wavefront-guided treatment, in fact they had given me wavefront-optmised. They hadn't even performed wavefront scans pre or post op, and in actual fact the only suitable treatment for me was a wavefront-guided treatment, the very treatment that they offered to me as part of their discount offer. What kind of surgeons make decisions about your eye sight without running a basic wavefront scan?

I must now make a decision as to under go a treatment at Moorfields and as they are refusing to pay for it, I will have to pay myself. They have no morals or decency, by not offering to pay for my treatment in writing, refusing to pay for my second opinion and actually ridiculing me when I told them that there was a problem. They have cheated me out of my eye sight.

I have a 15 month old baby, a wife, a disabled parent and a partially sighted parent to look after. I can no longer drive at night confidently, watch TV at night (which I always loved doing) and many other things. I have been left with severe depression, anxiety, guilt and anger.

Tell me what kind of clinic would do this to someone? Please stay well away from this clinic, I would recommend going to a real clinic / hospital like Moorfields.

Exemplary service from consultation with the surgeon through to treatment on the day. Visualase is an independent laser eye clinic in Bolton. Really felt that I wasn't just another patient - as they really made me feel comfortable and welcome.