Surgery date(s)

December 2001 & March 2002

Time elapsed when survey submitted

18 months since original procedure

Age at time of surgery

25

Type of surgery

LASEK

Laser

Summit Apex Plus

One eye or both

One at a time

Correction before surgery

Glasses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -7D per eye

Astigmatism: Unsure

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

6/6

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

Loss of contrast sensitivity

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Increased safety or convenience at work
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Online

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• On an independent web forum (other than www.surgicaleyes.org and www.lasik-eyes.co.uk)

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I had an evaluation at more than one clinic and selected the one I thought was best based on my experience during the evaluation.
• I was looking for a very specific type of procedure or model of laser.
• My surgeon had done thousands of procedures.
• My surgeon was a consultant ophthalmologist.
• My surgeon had extensive training in refractive surgery.
• My surgeon had very low complications rates.
• I read good reviews or reports about the clinic or surgeon.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

YES

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

NO

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

5

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

5

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

5

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

5

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

5

My recommendation is to go to a number of consultations before making a choice. It is worth paying for them if necessary to ensure you get proper advice before taking the plunge.

Surgery date(s)

April 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

3 months

Age at time of surgery

28

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Bausch & Lomb Technolas

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -4.00 left, -3.25 right

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

20/20

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Cosmetic benefits
• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Convenience of not wearing and caring for contact lenses
• Increased safety or convenience for sports or other leisure activities
• Contact lens intolerance, discomfort or related problems (eyes dry, tired, red, sore, allergies, etc)
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising
• Family, friends or acquaintances who have had laser surgery

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Television, radio or other press reports
• Family, friends or acquaintances
• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• On a website sponsored by the clinic
• In brochures or other media produced by the clinic
• In news reports

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I read good reviews or reports about the clinic or surgeon.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

Don't remember

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

NO

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

Overall experience with SURGEON

5

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

NO/a

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

5

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

5

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

NO/a

After the surgery, I found that my vision was milky as anticipated.  On arriving home, approx 2 hours after the treatment I found that my eyes were stinging badly and had non-stop tears, however, I had been warned of this and took a couple of painkillers.  On waking 2 hours later, there was no pain and my vision was good.  I had to put two lots of drops into my eyes (anti-inflammatory and I can't remember the other) every 2 hours after treatment for the first 24 hours and then every 4 hours thereafter for the next week.  I was also required to wear plain glass glasses for 2 weeks after the treatment. At my next check-up (1 week) I was advised to continue using one lot of the drops until they had finished.  My eyes have healed very well with no dry eyes or any of the other side effects.  I now have 20/20 vision and only 2 months after the treatment forget I even had the treatment which is how well my eyes have adjusted.

Surgery date(s)

March 2002

Time elapsed when survey submitted

16 months

Age at time of surgery

Unspecified

Type of surgery

LASEK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -4.5/-4

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

R -0.25; L +0.25

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Job requirements
• Convenience of not wearing and caring for contact lenses
• Increased safety or convenience for sports or other leisure activities
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising
• Online

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Television, radio or other press reports
• Family, friends or acquaintances
• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.surgicaleyes.org
• On an independent web forum (other than www.surgicaleyes.org and www.lasik-eyes.co.uk)

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I was looking for a very specific type of procedure or model of laser.
• My surgeon was a consultant ophthalmologist.
• My surgeon had extensive training in refractive surgery.
• My surgeon had very low complications rates.
• I read good reviews or reports about the clinic or surgeon.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

YES

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

5

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

5

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

5

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

5

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

5

Surgery date(s)

April 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

3 months

Age at time of surgery

39

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Glasses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: Low to medium

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

Nearly 20/20

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

Poorer night vision

Loss of contrast sensitivity

Increased floaters

Adverse effects (other)

Substantial dry eye requiring daily treatment

Light sensitivity

Increased floaters

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

9

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Cosmetic benefits
• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Convenience of not wearing and caring for contact lenses

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Family, friends or acquaintances who have had laser surgery

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Television, radio or other press reports
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• In brochures or other media produced by the clinic

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• The clinic was recommended by an acquaintance.
• I had an evaluation at more than one clinic and selected the one I thought was best based on my experience during the evaluation.
• I compared prices between clinics.
• The location was convenient.
• My surgeon had done thousands of procedures.
• My surgeon had extensive training in refractive surgery.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

NO

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

NO

Overall experience with the CLINIC

3

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

3

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

4

Overall experience with SURGEON

2

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

1

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

4

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

4

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

3

Surgery date(s)

February 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

5 months

Age at time of surgery

Unspecified

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Wavelight Allegretto

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Gas permeable contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -9 one eye, -3.75 other eye

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

+0.50, +0.25

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported

Adverse effects (other)

Dry eye

Light sensitivity

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Corrective lenses worn in the year prior to surgery

• Contact lenses (gas permeable or hard)

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Poor vision with glasses (all of the time)
• Contact lens intolerance, discomfort or related problems (eyes dry, tired, red, sore, allergies, etc)

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising
• Family, friends or acquaintances who have had laser surgery
• Online

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Television, radio or other press reports
• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.surgicaleyes.org
• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• In brochures or other media produced by the clinic

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I had an evaluation at more than one clinic and selected the one I thought was best based on my experience during the evaluation.
• I was looking for a very specific type of procedure or model of laser.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

YES

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

4

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

4

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

3

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

Surgery date(s)

January 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

6 months

Age at time of surgery

25

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

VISX Star S3

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -4.25L, -5.25R

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

20/15

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

• Poorer night vision
• Loss of contrast sensitivity
• Altered optical quality

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising
• Online

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• On an independent web forum (other than www.surgicaleyes.org and www.lasik-eyes.co.uk)

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• None of these describes my preference for the clinic I chose.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

NO

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

NO

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

3

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

3

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

5

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

4

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1

Surgery date(s)

July 2002

Time elapsed when survey submitted

12 months

Age at time of surgery

41

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -5.25, -5.5

Astigmatism: Yes, slight

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

Not reported

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

• Poorer night vision
• Loss of contrast sensitivity
• Altered optical quality
• Increased floaters

Adverse effects (other)

Substantial dry eye requiring daily treatment

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

NO

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

NO

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

5

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Increased safety or convenience for sports or other leisure activities
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Television, radio or other press reports

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• In news reports

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• The clinic was recommended by an acquaintance.
• The location was convenient.
• My surgeon was a consultant ophthalmologist.
• I read good reviews or reports about the clinic or surgeon.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

NO

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

NO

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

NO

Overall experience with the CLINIC

4

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

4

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

4

Overall experience with SURGEON

3

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

1

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

1

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

1

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1

Has the problem(s) been resolved?

NO

Did the patient get additional opinions and if so how many?

NO

Has the surgeon told the patient what caused the problem(s)?

YES

Did the patient have risk factors s/he did not know about?

YES (some aspects)

Who took responsibility to look after the patient, examine and treat them when the problem(s) arose: the surgeon, other staff in the clinic, or neither?

Other staff

Surgery date(s)

December 2001

Time elapsed when survey submitted

19 months

Age at time of surgery

33

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -2.5, -2.75

Astigmatism: YES

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

20/20

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

• Poorer night vision
• Loss of contrast sensitivity

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

9

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Cosmetic benefits
• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Expected cost savings
• Convenience of not wearing and caring for contact lenses
• Contact lens intolerance, discomfort or related problems (eyes dry, tired, red, sore, allergies, etc)
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising
• Family, friends or acquaintances who have had laser surgery

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources
• Other: Written information provided by the clinic

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On an independent web forum (other than www.surgicaleyes.org and www.lasik-eyes.co.uk)

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I compared prices between clinics.
• None of these describes my preference for the clinic I chose.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

NO

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

NO

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

NO

Overall experience with the CLINIC

4

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

4

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

1

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

1

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

5

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1

Surgery date(s)

June 2002

Time elapsed when survey submitted

13 months

Age at time of surgery

Unspecified

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -5.75

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

20/20

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported

Adverse effects (other)

None reported

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

10

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

Convenience of not wearing glasses

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

Advertising

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

Television, radio or other press reports

Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

The location was convenient.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

NO

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

YES

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

YES

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

5

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

5

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

1

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

1

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

1

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1

Surgery date(s)

October 2001

Time elapsed when survey submitted

21 months

Age at time of surgery

26

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: ÒMediumÓ

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

6/6

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

• Poor night vision
• Loss of contrast sensitivity
• Less crisp vision
• Increased floaters
• Altered optical quality

Adverse effects (other)

Dry eye

Did patient feel the surgery achieved his/her goal?

YES

Does patient recommend to acquaintances?

YES

Patient's rating of results (1-10, 10 is best)

7

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• Cosmetic benefits
• Convenience of not wearing glasses
• Convenience of not wearing and caring for contact lenses
• Generally tired of the hassle of glasses or contacts and attracted by the idea of not needing them

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Family, friends or acquaintances who have had laser surgery

Read about the risks, complications and side effects of LVC in

• Family, friends or acquaintances
• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• On www.lasik-eyes.co.uk

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I compared prices between clinics.
• I intended to try out more than one clinic, but I was impressed with the first one and went ahead with them.

The following were or were not discussed with the patient during the consultation process:

How long patient could expect to be glasses-free after surgery

YES

Night vision problems and what causes them

YES

Other problems associated with laser surgery, such as double vision/ghosting and loss of contrast sensitivity

YES

Patient's pupil size at night and how it may affect the quality of the surgical result

NO

Patient's corneal thickness and what it means for eligibility for additional procedures

YES

Patient's professional vision requirements (present or future)

NO

The possibility of dry eye requiring ongoing treatment (i.e. after the healing period)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

4

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

4

How CLINIC's staff responded if patient had any problems or concerns after surgery

4

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

3

SURGEON answered patient's questions prior to surgery

3

SURGEON discussed pre-operative evaluation test results with patient

2

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1