Laser surgery (or similar) for eyes - your experiences

I had LASIK in 1998 but due to advancing age developed cataracts a couple of years ago. I then had accommodating lenses fitted. (They are inside the eye just in case that's not clear). Accommodating lenses work both for long distance vision as well as close up such as reading. You do have to stick to an exercise regime to educate them to start with.
I suggest that instead of having your eyes lasered, with the normal possibility of cataracts later go straight for accommodating lenses and everything is sorted.

My son's partner had laser treatment for her 30th birthday and now, at 41, her eyes are as good as new, although she does wear glasses for driving.

A woman I know had laser eye treatment some time ago. She had always worn glasses with very, very thick lenses. The last time I saw her, I didn't recognise her without the glasses! She had nothing but praise for the procedure (but it was done on the Island so not a well-known group or anything) and she loves not having to wear glasses all the time and she says she can see better than she did with glasses.

Going abroad might have big pit falls if something goes wrong and you need follow up treatment. Or need to claim compensation.

The NHS gets a little fed up of people returning form abroad with complications of bad plastic surgery.

If you are considering it then I would definitely think about going abroad, the quality is often a lot better and much cheaper.

Granjura that is effectively what my surgeon did when he operated on my cataracts. In my case this wasn't perfect, because I was so short sighted to begin with but, legally, my eyes, without glasses now meet the standard required for driving, although I do prefer to wear glasses when driving for my own peace of mind - I would hate to have an accident and have even a scintilla of suspicion that my eye sight might have contributed to it. However I do not need glasses for reading and close work -and never will.

It is not as disorientating as you might think as the difference in prescription between the two eyes is not that large. My uncorrected eyes showed a far bigger difference. My left eye was nearly twice as shortsighted as my right(-9 and -5) and the difference now is +/- 2.

Personally, cataracts apart, if I was going to fiddle with my eyes to improve my sight, particularly as an older woman, I would prefer to go down the lens replacement route, which is what a cataract operation is, than have laser treatment. The range of corrective lenses that can be inserted in such an operation is immense and if you develop cataracts after the operation the laser operation will only have been effective for the time between the two operations, which could be as little as a couple of years.

My DD had both eyes done 2 years ago. She found it very painful [in the weeks afterwards] and needed constant eyedrops. Then it settled down and she is very happy with the results, no more glasses or contact lenses.Just find a reputable company with plenty of 'feedback' from clients.

My cousin from the USA (in her 60s) had her eyes laser treated so she would not have to wear glasses. She had one eye done for reading, and one for long distance/driving

Apparently quite common in the US - makes me feel sick just to think of it.

Unless you really need it, I wouldn't advocate it myself. Sometimes things are not straightforward. I have experienced laser treatment and it didn't hurt - in fact I didn't know it had started until I eventually felt dull thuds towards the end of the treatment but I needed it to tidy up after a cataract operation not for cosmetic purposes.

I thought this had to be redone after a few years - at least that was the case when it first became available, one of the men I worked with was going to have it done but when he was told that he decided against it. Perhaps they have improved on it since then

I considered this, but decided that since I would need glasses for reading I might just as well carry on wearing glasses all the time, rather than have to keep hunting for reading glasses!

My DD's FIL had the surgery and had a lot of problems with one eye afterwards, but this has now settled down - it took quite a while though.

If I turned out without my glasses I do not think people would recognise me as I have worn them from a tiny girl! They are part of who I am, and it does not bother me at all.

I had laser eye treatment in 2002 and have never regretted it. I had both eyes done by a company called Ultralase and had LASIK treatment. My astigmatism was also cured. The effect was instantaneous, though my eyes were very dry initially and I had to get drops from the chemist (this is normal). I still wear glasses for reading and close work (part of the degenerative process, though I believe there are treatments for this now). The only problem I have is needing to wear sun-glasses when the weather is very bright, not necessarily sunny. I mentioned this to the optician and she said just make sure I get good quality ones. Make sure you use a reputable company. Hope this helps.