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Laser, Refractive Surgery and Contact Lens Implants

If you've been looking at all the glossy ads for Laser Surgery and other refractive operations and are feeling tempted you've come to the right place to get some unbiased advice. In the vast majority of cases Laser Surgery is an elective procedure and like all elective surgeries the risks and potential benefits should be fully explored before your decision.

Testimonial from Dr. Matthew Starr MD FAAOphth Ophthalmic Consultant (www.londoneyeclinic.com):

'I am impressed by the care Mr Wilson and his team take of their contact lens patients. The fitting, the materials used, and the aftercare are of the highest quality. I recommend all my patients in the Midlands to be seen at the Contact Lens Practice for all their contact lens needs.'

'When fitted by Mr Wilson and his team contact lenses are generally a much safer option than laser surgery for the glasses-free correction of sight problems.'

Some might expect us to be negative about an apparent competitor but the advent of Laser Surgery has had little or no effect on our specialist practice. It is well documented that at least 80% of patients having Laser Surgery do so having failed to adapt successfully to Contact Lenses - our patients succeed so few have decided to elect for surgery with all its risks. It is sad that so many people who never discover our Specialist Practice pay needlessly for surgery because they failed with contacts.

The Corneal Laser Centre was the World pioneer and had a monopoly for several years operating only from the Wirral & St James in Leeds. When competition arrived in Central London Geoff was trained by them to carry out preliminary assessments before referral to their clinics for treatment.

Subsequently he has attended several courses including a BUPA sponsored course led by Professor John Marshall at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.

The Contact Lens Practice has carried out Pre-Operative Screening and Post-Operative Check Ups for hundreds of patients on behalf of several clinics.

We offer a Refractive Surgery Advice Service, and if appropriate will refer you to the local clinic we currently work with, although you are of course free to go anywhere you choose. However you should bear in mind that Laser Surgery does not have any universally accepted Code of Practice so it is not regulated. Most clinics will only carry out treatments after you have signed a legal document in which the Practitioner has disclaimed all responsibility should anything go wrong.

We have seen some very good results from Laser Surgery. Unfortunately we've also seen some mediocre ones and some very poor ones where the patient really wasn't suitable in the first place. In fact new complex Contact Lenses have now been designed specifically to help patients where surgery has gone badly wrong.

Many patients are now consulting us who were initially pleased with their laser surgery, but as their sight has changed they are having to return for us to re-fit them with contacts or supply glasses.

If you do go ahead we strongly recommend that:

  1. You be aware that Clinics are commercial operations. Most offer discounts if you have both eyes treated at the same time. We believe you should have one eye done first (the less used non dominant one) because if a problem is going to occur it will usually affect both eyes and at least you'll have good vision left in your best eye!
  2. You should expect to see at least one line of letters less than with glasses and 2 less than with contacts - that way, should the result be better you'll be happy!
  3. You should bear in mind that if a Clinic advertises all it really proves is that they have spare capacity - it doesn't necessarily make them the best. Would you choose a heart surgeon on the basis of a glossy Ad?

Make sure you speak personally to the actual Ophthalmologist who will carry out your treatment - not someone who has been assigned to do the pre-sales work - and ask them:

  • Are my eyes genuinely 100% suitable? Not everyone's are yet operations proceed!
  • What potential adverse reactions might I experience? Make sure you get a list and specifically ask about night driving ‘flare' & dry eyes!
  • Which type of laser surgery is best for me - Lasik (custom or wavefront), PRK or Lasek? Ask whether intra-ocular contact lens implants (link to lower down the page) might be safer/better?
  • What will happen post operatively if my vision error changes? Will there be enough thickness of cornea left to allow more surgery?
  • When I come to the age I need reading help can laser help me?
  • It is well proven that surgery can cause dry eyes - ask how they suggest you deal with this.
  • What type of sports will I be able to play afterwards?
  • The cornea is on average only 0.55 millimetres thick. Reduced by surgery it is more vulnerable to mechanical damage so, for example, boxers legally can't fight if they've had laser!
  • What if it doesn't correct my vision perfectly - what are my options then?
  • Should I try 30 day sleep in contacts first? These are FDA approved and are suitable for many people?
  • What about OVERNIGHT VISION CORRECTION (Ortho-K) - should I try that ?
  • FINALLY ask them to say honestly if they were not paid by a Laser Clinic whether they would still recommend surgery as the first choice for vision correction? Most Ophthalmologists not earning their living from a Laser Clinic will say that Contacts should be the first and safest choice for spec free vision!

Just because you've heard of people singing the praises of surgery doesn't mean there aren't thousands who regret they ever went down the surgery path... the following sites give some honest advice.

http://eyesurgery.factsandnews.com/Bad-Lasik-Eye-Surgery.php

Read a The Times article & warnings from 'Which' 

Click Here to read just one of the letters we've received from people who have had serious problems following laser surgery.
Come and see us - we'd be happy to discuss these questions with you, examine your eyes to assess your suitability, let you try sleep-in lenses and if you do still want to go ahead we'll recommend a Clinic to consult.

Contact Lens Implants & Phakic IOL's

You may have also heard or read about Implantable Contact Lenses and are perhaps wondering if these might be suitable for you.

IOLs - Intraocular Lenses are used in cataract surgery to replace the eye's own lens. Phakic IOLs - which are also known as Implantable Contact Lenses (ICLs) are used in elective surgery to supplement the natural lens in the same way as Contact Lenses. The only difference is that a contact lens is worn externally and can be easily changed and updated, whereas a Phakic IOL is worn internally - it is surgically placed behind the cornea and can only be removed or changed by another surgical procedure. Phakic refers to the fact that the eye's own lens remains in place.

Follow the link below if you want to find out more about Contact Lens Implants.

For more info see the US Food & Drugs Administration website.

In a nutshell our advice is that as with any form of elective surgery there are more risks involved than with wearing removable Contact Lenses, however if all else has failed, this procedure is generally preferable to laser surgery.

  

           Visian ICL


 

 

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