Surgery date(s)

January 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

6 months

Age at time of surgery

27

Type of surgery

LASEK

Laser

Nidek

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -3.5/-3.25

Astigmatism: ?

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

0 and 0.

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported.

Adverse effects (other)

Eye pain.

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
• Poor vision with glasses (all of the time)
• 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
• 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
• 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)
• In brochures or other media produced by the clinic
• In news reports

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• The clinic was recommended by an acquaintance.
• I compared prices between clinics.
• 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

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)

YES

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

3

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

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

4

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

NO/A

Selected ÒHealing ProcessÓ

I felt that there was a lack of information pre-op about what could happen during the healing process. After the op, I experienced double vision, ghosting, and constantly changing vision from excellent to poor on different days. After calling to express concerns, I was told this is perfectly natural and part of the healing process. These symptoms lasted for around 3-4 months post-op. I felt that I was not prepared for these, and that there was a general lack of information about the healing process. This caused a significant amount of worry during recovery, which would not have happened to such an extent had I been fully informed.

Surgery date(s)

March 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

4 months

Age at time of surgery

29

Type of surgery

LASEK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -1.5/-1.5

Astigmatism: ?

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

20/20 or better

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

NO

Adverse effects (visual)

None reported

Adverse effects (other)

Dry eye

Periodic severe eye pain

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
• 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
• 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
• 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 surgeon was recommended by an acquaintance.
• I was looking for a very specific type of procedure or model of laser.
• My surgeon had done thousands of procedures.

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

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)

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

4

Overall experience with SURGEON

4

Time SURGEON spent with patient before the day of surgery

5

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

4

I chose LASEK to avoid any chance of long term complications (as can happen with LASIK). The recovery period was about a week for the vision to be usable and about 2 weeks for it to be fully better. The first three days were spent in a dark room doing nothing! However the eyes have healed up very nicely and I now have exactly the vision I wanted.

The one ongoing thing that gives me some concern is that I occasionally wake up at night with a pain in one or other of my eyes. It goes after about 10 minutes of the eye crying and watering. I have a check-up next week at which I will question the surgeon.

Surgery date(s)

March 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

4 months

Age at time of surgery

38

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -2.5

Astigmatism: ?

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)

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)

9

Primary motivating factors in decision to have LVC

• 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)

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• 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
• 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.lasik-eyes.co.uk
• In news reports

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• The surgeon was recommended by an acquaintance.
• My surgeon had extensive training in refractive surgery.
• 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

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

4

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

3

Surgery date(s)

December 2001

Time elapsed when survey submitted

19 months

Age at time of surgery

41

Type of surgery

PRK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Short-sighted: -2.0R, -2.5L

Astigmatism: Yes

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

0.0, better than 20/20. Initially overcorrected to +1.0 as measured 1 month post-op.

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
• Expected cost savings
• 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
• Website of the clinic patient attended
• Websites sponsored by other clinics or industry sources
• Independent websites

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.
• They were able to schedule a more convenient appointment than another clinic.

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)

YES

Overall experience with the CLINIC

5

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

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

3

I had PRK on both eyes on 19th December 2001 at the [name] clinic in Manchester. After being short-sighted and wearing glasses for 20 years I decided to take the plunge and have laser surgery. I researched the different options on the internet and selected PRK based on my relatively low correction levels of approx 2 dioptres in both eyes. [Clinic] offered the lowest price ([price]) and said that they could do both eyes on the same day Ð although the surgeon did try to talk me out of this on the grounds of risk. [Clinic] were professional and did extensive testing before agreeing to complete the surgery Ð which was painless and completed in a matter of minutes. I was warned about dry-eye and star-bursts, but felt that I was prepared to take the risk.

My vision immediately after the operation was non-existent. I had been told to expect this, so I wasn't concerned. I had mild discomfort for the first couple of days, but nothing too serious. On the fifth day after surgery the change was miraculous. My vision Ôsuddenly' came back Ð well enough to drive and go to work Ð without glasses. For the first few weeks my vision varied. Sometimes my long sight was perfect, sometimes less good Ð it could change by the minute. The only consistent thing was my extreme sensitivity to sunlight - I actually had to wear two pairs of sunglasses to be able to drive on sunny days. After the first month I knew that I was pleased with the results although my short sight was less good. I went for the one-month check at [clinic], they said I was +1 dioptre long sighted in both eyes. [Clinic] stressed that this was completely normal, and that it would Ôprobably' correct itself in time. I purchased a pair or over-the-counter glasses for reading. They were quite correct, over the next few weeks the long-sight corrected itself without intervention, leaving me with what I consider to be fully satisfactory vision (better than 20/20).

Would I recommend laser eye surgery? Absolutely and without hesitation. I have heard various Ôbad press reports' concerning [clinic] since I had the surgery, but must say that I found them to be courteous & professional. It may, of course, have been different if I had experienced problemsÉ.

I was sufficiently satisfied to recommend [clinic] to friends and family, and sufficiently pleased with my eyesight not to feel it necessary to go back for subsequent checks. In terms of value-for-money, I was spending approx £250 / year on glasses and contact lenses, so a less-than-four-year payback is predicted.

In conclusion, I am totally satisfied with the whole procedure and can honestly say that I have experienced no post-surgery problems whatsoever.

Surgery date(s)

February 2003

Time elapsed when survey submitted

5 months

Age at time of surgery

38

Type of surgery

LASIK

Laser

Unknown

One eye or both

Both

Correction before surgery

Soft contact lenses

Vision before surgery

Shortsighted: R -1.5, L -3.0

Astigmatism: In one eye

Vision after surgery (acuity or prescription)

Overcorrected to +1.5 and +0.5

Astigmatism corrected in eye that had it and induced in the eye that didn't.

Does patient now need glasses or contact lenses?

Yes, for some activities, but had not expected to.

Adverse effects (visual)

Loss of contrast sensitivity

Less crisp vision

Altered optical quality

Adverse effects (other)

Mild 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)

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
• Poor vision with 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
• Gift [birthday present from boyfriend]

Read about the benefits of LVC in...

• Advertising

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

• Family, friends or acquaintances
• Independent websites

Read about patients' experiences (good or bad)

• Did not read about any other patients' experiences.

How patient selected clinic and/or surgeon

• I compared prices between clinics.
• 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

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

(blank)

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

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

3

Impression of the CLINIC's quality standards

3

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

3

Overall experience with SURGEON

3

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

3

SURGEON spent time with patient at follow-up examinations

1

Using a pc now gives me eye strain, and so I think I shall need reading glasses, during the first 2 months after surgery, I was almost incapable of doing my job as an office manager, and this deeply concerned me...

When they advertise and say, I was at work the same day, what a pile of poo.

I booked off two weeks from work, and as said before it took a good 3 months to get reasonable reading vision back, and this I was not expecting....

It's no good telling people that they can be at work the following week when they use pcs, or have a job that is critical to detail.

I had 2 weeks off work and this was not long enough, and following the surgery, had the most terrible welders flash and so was blind for one full evening and needed someone to help me at home.

Please be honest with us, this at the end of the day is surgery, and we are adult enough to be given the whole picture.

Back to top

66. PR in London

1. Vitals

2. Preparation and research

3. Patient counselling and informed consent

4. How patient rated their clinic and surgeon
(5=best, 1=worst)

5. Patient's comments about their experience
We asked patients to describe a single aspect of their experience that they thought future candidates might benefit from.

Back to top

67. RAGER in Edinburgh

1. Vitals

2. Preparation and research

3. Patient counselling and informed consent

4. How patient rated their clinic and surgeon
(5=best, 1=worst)

5. Patient's comments about their experience
We asked patients to describe a single aspect of their experience that they thought future candidates might benefit from.

Back to top

68. REDL in Manchester

1. Vitals

2. Preparation and research

3. Patient counselling and informed consent

4. How patient rated their clinic and surgeon
(5=best, 1=worst)

5. Patient's comments about their experience
We asked patients to describe a single aspect of their experience that they thought future candidates might benefit from.

Back to top

69. ROB BEDS in Milton Keynes

1. Vitals

2. Preparation and research

3. Patient counselling and informed consent

4. How patient rated their clinic and surgeon
(5=best, 1=worst)

5. Patient's comments about their experience
We asked patients to describe a single aspect of their experience that they thought future candidates might benefit from.

Back to top

70. RUTH in Yorkshire

1. Vitals

2. Preparation and research