Optical lens replacement ?

[megaphone]

I'm feed up with wearing glasses, have to have multiple pairs, PITA.

Have been looking at options to have replacement lenses fitted in my eyes, not cheap but maybe worth it.

Just looking for advice, opinions, recommendations. Obviously a slight risk it can go wrong. Also want to know about longevity, will I need to go back later in life. I'm mid 50s.

[anonymous-user]

I had replacement lenses in 2008, as a remedy for cataracts, I had to have a general as I had other issues. I was 55, no problems since.
I had to wait 6 months between each eye, one eye - 14 and one - 1 for 6 months was the only issue.
My daughter had inserted contacts, when she was 23, they removed her lens, 'glued' a contact to it and inserted it back, 6 years ago, done in 10 minutes an eye, 30min wait between, under a local. She thinks it fantastic, the lenses can be removed or replaced, if needed in the future.
I paid 800 pound an eye for mine, daughter was 6,000 pounds.

[GT03ROB]

My mum had hers done around 10 yrs back, when she was late 60s, not had a problem since.

Guy at work is having his done this week will let you know how it goes!

[megaphone]

Thanks, yes would like to know how it goes.

Obviously a bit wary as it's eyes. Cost wise looking at £6k ish, would like to get some recommendations on where to go.

A chap worked with went overseas, Prague IIRC, cost was about £3K all in inc travel etc. He was happy with how it all turned out.

[Louis Balfour]

megaphone said:

I'm feed up with wearing glasses, have to have multiple pairs, PITA.

Have been looking at options to have replacement lenses fitted in my eyes, not cheap but maybe worth it.

Just looking for advice, opinions, recommendations. Obviously a slight risk it can go wrong. Also want to know about longevity, will I need to go back later in life. I'm mid 50s.

I had mine done about 7 years ago. Multifocal lenses.

I have had a really good outcome and am glasses independent. I would say that my vision is about the same as it was when I was 40. Not perfect for near distance, but very good.

Lenses have improved since I had mine done, so it may be the case that better vision is available now. My lenses are actually bifocal, and my brain has had to work out how to do intermediate vision. But when my wife enquired recently she was offered lenses with an intermediate focal length.

In terms of recommendation: I used Optical Express and was very happy with the service, outcome and continued support. For about four years after the surgery I had free eye tests and immediate follow-up appointments if I wanted them.

If I am being picky, there was something of the conveyor belt about surgery day. I was one of probably a dozen people done in the same session. But I was fine with that. I knew what I was getting.

I spoke to two surgeons directly, one from Moorfields and another from Bristol somewhere. I decided that I preferred to have the work done locally, in case I needed immediate support. Which I did, in fact, and support was immediate. Nothing serious, just annoying dry eyes and on another occasion I wanted a floater looking at.

Other people prefer to go the consultant route. Obviously you'll get a more personal service, at the time of the surgery and pre-booked follow-ups. However, those people I know who went directly to a consultant all had problems with follow-up. Two of them had quite serious problems. This fits with my experience of surgeons in general; it can be difficult to obtain immediate ad-hoc support when needed.

But the route to treatment aside, I am very pleased with the outcome and would recommend RLE surgery. I would caveat that as follows however:

I immediately experienced benefit from the surgery. However, it took my brain 2 years to "learn" the new lenses to 90% efficiency. I gained 5% more over the following year and another 5% since then.

With multifocal lenses, light aberrations are very common. So street lamps have halos around them and, at night, oncoming car lights can be dazzling. However, I have noticed that once again the brain becomes better over time at addressing the problem. Dealing with lights at night took a lot longer to master, but today I don't really notice them.

Artificial lenses reduce the light that enters the eye, so I need to use task lighting more often. But that is not bad policy anyway.

So, in summary, it's great surgery for the ageing eye. But it is not 100% perfect, nor immediate. Though as lens technology improves, the brain will have to do less learning and I image (as a layman) that progress will be quicker.

Which route you take in terms of commercial, volume, operators vs direct to a surgeon is very much a personal matter. I made my decision based upon the experiences of a dozen or so friends, plus online research. I was happy with my decision; you may make a different choice.

[Mr Pointy]

There's quite a long thread about cataract & lens replacement surgery here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

To sum up you have a few decisions to make & your eyes are unique so just because someone says "I'm glasses free now" doesn't mean you will be. No-one can guarantee what your outcome will be.

There are generally two types of lenses: Monofocal lenses or multifocal. Monofocal lenses are set for one distance, usually far, & you will probably need glasses for reading. They give the clearest & brightest vision with fewest problems but it's less likely you will be completely without glasses. Multifocal lenses have two or three zones so there's a chance you may get way without needing glasses but there are some issues with MF lenses. Many patients report halos, glare & flare especially around highlights & while many people learn to live with it some do not.

I found that the halos were very disturbing & the lighting is some shops caused very unpleasant effects. The problem is that you don't know how you will react until after the operation & by then it's too late. While the first operation is verging on the trivial (comparatively speaking) taking one lens out & fitting another is whole different ballgame, especially if you have had a follow up operation for a condition called Post Capsular Opacification, which is very common. I was fortunate as I'd had a hybrid lens fitted which was a main monofocal lens with a small multifocal in front of it. I had the multifocal removed but the vision in that eye is still not quite as good as the other eye which only had a monofocal.

If you do choose monofocal lenses then there's a further option to have what called monovision where one eye is set for distance & the other for "distant reading" - about 3ft ish. This is what I ended up with & it's a workable compromise. I can do everything from driving to reading the label on a packet without glasses. The only time I put glasses on is to read for a long period.

There are always risks to having surgery but cataract surgery is the most common operation in the world, so they say. However there are some definate risks & one of those is a higher change of a detached retina. I had this & it will take you out for at least a month, if not longer. That's assuming you get to hospital in time because otherwise you can end up going blind.

As to where to go then everyone's story is different. I went to a consultant & I had excellent aftercare - I had his personal phone number & he texted in the evening me to check on progress when my pressures went a bit high. My friend had his done at a high street chain where the surgeon flew in from South Africa to do both eyes on the same day & then flew out again two days later. Make of that what you will.

There was a consultant surgeon who used to post on here as 968 who had some horror stories about high street chains but sadly he longer posts on this subject. One thing that I did discover is that this area (RLE eye operations & laser surgery) is pretty much unregulated. No-one keeps track of issues or produces tables of good or poorer surgeons. Very rarely one of them will cock up so badly they get called out but it is very rare & just because somone works at Moorfields doesn't mean they don't have issues.

Wherever you go I would suggest it be farly local to you in case of any problems.

[Louis Balfour]

Mr Pointy said:

There's quite a long thread about cataract & lens replacement surgery here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

To sum up you have a few decisions to make & your eyes are unique so just because someone says "I'm glasses free now" doesn't mean you will be. No-one can guarantee what your outcome will be.

There are generally two types of lenses: Monofocal lenses or multifocal. Monofocal lenses are set for one distance, usually far, & you will probably need glasses for reading. They give the clearest & brightest vision with fewest problems but it's less likely you will be completely without glasses. Multifocal lenses have two or three zones so there's a chance you may get way without needing glasses but there are some issues with MF lenses. Many patients report halos, glare & flare especially around highlights & while many people learn to live with it some do not.

I found that the halos were very disturbing & the lighting is some shops caused very unpleasant effects. The problem is that you don't know how you will react until after the operation & by then it's too late. While the first operation is verging on the trivial (comparatively speaking) taking one lens out & fitting another is whole different ballgame, especially if you have had a follow up operation for a condition called Post Capsular Opacification, which is very common. I was fortunate as I'd had a hybrid lens fitted which was a main monofocal lens with a small multifocal in front of it. I had the multifocal removed but the vision in that eye is still not quite as good as the other eye which only had a monofocal.

If you do choose monofocal lenses then there's a further option to have what called monovision where one eye is set for distance & the other for "distant reading" - about 3ft ish. This is what I ended up with & it's a workable compromise. I can do everything from driving to reading the label on a packet without glasses. The only time I put glasses on is to read for a long period.

There are always risks to having surgery but cataract surgery is the most common operation in the world, so they say. However there are some definate risks & one of those is a higher change of a detached retina. I had this & it will take you out for at least a month, if not longer. That's assuming you get to hospital in time because otherwise you can end up going blind.

As to where to go then everyone's story is different. I went to a consultant & I had excellent aftercare - I had his personal phone number & he texted in the evening me to check on progress when my pressures went a bit high. My friend had his done at a high street chain where the surgeon flew in from South Africa to do both eyes on the same day & then flew out again two days later. Make of that what you will.

There was a consultant surgeon who used to post on here as 968 who had some horror stories about high street chains but sadly he longer posts on this subject. One thing that I did discover is that this area (RLE eye operations & laser surgery) is pretty much unregulated. No-one keeps track of issues or produces tables of good or poorer surgeons. Very rarely one of them will cock up so badly they get called out but it is very rare & just because somone works at Moorfields doesn't mean they don't have issues.

Wherever you go I would suggest it be farly local to you in case of any problems.

I've tried to give a balanced view regarding consultant surgeon vs commercial above.

But I an observation is that you are another case of someone who went the consultant route and had problems. I probably know 30 people who went to one of the commercial operators and not one of them has had issues. That may of course be chance, or it may be that the commercial lot are actually quite good because they do so many operations.

The lack of transparency regarding outcomes is one of the reasons I decided upon not going direct to a surgeon. There is a website called something like "Optical Express Ruined my Life" and I was able to while away evenings evaluating what people were saying about them. It's more difficult to evaluate individual surgeons. Furthermore, when one outfit is performing so many operations, under a brand name, it is far easier to point the finger of blame when something goes awry.

Another casual observation is that consultant surgeons do like to denigrate commercial operators, when in fact their equally qualified peers are happy to work for them. Perhaps for the similar reasons I had several opticians tell me not to have RLE surgery!

On the subject of safety. My conclusion was that it's a pretty safe procedure. The problems that friends have reported have mostly been to do with infection. Which is another reason why being local and seen frequently is helpful. Those travelling to see consultant surgeons didn't discover that they had an infection for some time.

An interesting story is how it was discovered that implants could be used to correct sight. It was during WWII, when a pilot got shards of shattered perspex canopy in his eye and the eye did not reject them.

[Mr Pointy]

Louis Balfour said:

I've tried to give a balanced view regarding consultant surgeon vs commercial above.

No you haven't. You've made it quite clear that you believe that high street organisations are better than NHS consultants. You've stated that everyone you know who went to a consultant has had an issue & that no-one who went high street did. That's a pretty remarkable set of findings.

Louis Balfour said:

But I an observation is that you are another case of someone who went the consultant route and had problems. I probably know 30 people who went to one of the commercial operators and not one of them has had issues. That may of course be chance, or it may be that the commercial lot are actually quite good because they do so many operations.

Again you're twisting what I wrote to suit your own agenda. I didn't get on with the multifocal lens in my left eye but it was nothing to do with the competence of the consultant who performed the operation. I always had some concerns about multifocal lenses & I chose the duet lens as it offered a safety net if the results were not to my liking. In over 100 operations I was only the second patient who didn't get on with the lens & opted to have the multifocal element removed - at no extra cost I might add.

Louis Balfour said:

The lack of transparency regarding outcomes is one of the reasons I decided upon not going direct to a surgeon. There is a website called something like "Optical Express Ruined my Life" and I was able to while away evenings evaluating what people were saying about them. It's more difficult to evaluate individual surgeons. Furthermore, when one outfit is performing so many operations, under a brand name, it is far easier to point the finger of blame when something goes awry.

So you found a high street operation which actually has an entire website dedicated to how it has caused patients horrendous problems & decided that was a good reason to avoid a consultant surgeon?

Louis Balfour said:

Another casual observation is that consultant surgeons do like to denigrate commercial operators, when in fact their equally qualified peers are happy to work for them. Perhaps for the similar reasons I had several opticians tell me not to have RLE surgery!

That's because consultants & opticians have a much higher sample group than you do. They see people come in with problems after surgery & know how little can be done for them after the operation. Any surgery is risky & most opticians & eye surgeons know things can go wrong so they avoid the risk, especially if it's elective surgery. I had cataracts so needed the operation but I wouldn't have RLE just to avoid wearing glasses.

Louis Balfour said:

On the subject of safety. My conclusion was that it's a pretty safe procedure. The problems that friends have reported have mostly been to do with infection. Which is another reason why being local and seen frequently is helpful. Those travelling to see consultant surgeons didn't discover that they had an infection for some time.

If you think infection is the main risk you don't understand the risks involved in the surgery. Every consultant I spoke to had an after care package with follow ups after one week, two weeks & then two months. Those appointments were with the consultant, not just with an optometrist. A high street chain is unlikely to have surgeons doing the follow ups - it's too expensive. Most people wouldn't have to travel far to have surgery done by a consultant privately so your point generalising about not being seen for aftercare is nonsense.

968 was a consultant surgeon who had seen hundreds of patients with appalling problems following surgery by high street chains & I recall him being dogged by a couple of posters who insisted that he was making it up. I find it odd that you know 30 people who have had RLE with a commercial outfit & given your stance it's making me question why you are so strongly in favour of high street operations.

[Louis Balfour]

Mr Pointy said:

Louis Balfour said:

I've tried to give a balanced view regarding consultant surgeon vs commercial above.

No you haven't. You've made it quite clear that you believe that high street organisations are better than NHS consultants. You've stated that everyone you know who went to a consultant has had an issue & that no-one who went high street did. That's a pretty remarkable set of findings.

Louis Balfour said:

But I an observation is that you are another case of someone who went the consultant route and had problems. I probably know 30 people who went to one of the commercial operators and not one of them has had issues. That may of course be chance, or it may be that the commercial lot are actually quite good because they do so many operations.

Again you're twisting what I wrote to suit your own agenda. I didn't get on with the multifocal lens in my left eye but it was nothing to do with the competence of the consultant who performed the operation. I always had some concerns about multifocal lenses & I chose the duet lens as it offered a safety net if the results were not to my liking. In over 100 operations I was only the second patient who didn't get on with the lens & opted to have the multifocal element removed - at no extra cost I might add.

Louis Balfour said:

The lack of transparency regarding outcomes is one of the reasons I decided upon not going direct to a surgeon. There is a website called something like "Optical Express Ruined my Life" and I was able to while away evenings evaluating what people were saying about them. It's more difficult to evaluate individual surgeons. Furthermore, when one outfit is performing so many operations, under a brand name, it is far easier to point the finger of blame when something goes awry.

So you found a high street operation which actually has an entire website dedicated to how it has caused patients horrendous problems & decided that was a good reason to avoid a consultant surgeon?

Louis Balfour said:

Another casual observation is that consultant surgeons do like to denigrate commercial operators, when in fact their equally qualified peers are happy to work for them. Perhaps for the similar reasons I had several opticians tell me not to have RLE surgery!

That's because consultants & opticians have a much higher sample group than you do. They see people come in with problems after surgery & know how little can be done for them after the operation. Any surgery is risky & most opticians & eye surgeons know things can go wrong so they avoid the risk, especially if it's elective surgery. I had cataracts so needed the operation but I wouldn't have RLE just to avoid wearing glasses.

Louis Balfour said:

On the subject of safety. My conclusion was that it's a pretty safe procedure. The problems that friends have reported have mostly been to do with infection. Which is another reason why being local and seen frequently is helpful. Those travelling to see consultant surgeons didn't discover that they had an infection for some time.

If you think infection is the main risk you don't understand the risks involved in the surgery. Every consultant I spoke to had an after care package with follow ups after one week, two weeks & then two months. Those appointments were with the consultant, not just with an optometrist. A high street chain is unlikely to have surgeons doing the follow ups - it's too expensive. Most people wouldn't have to travel far to have surgery done by a consultant privately so your point generalising about not being seen for aftercare is nonsense.

968 was a consultant surgeon who had seen hundreds of patients with appalling problems following surgery by high street chains & I recall him being dogged by a couple of posters who insisted that he was making it up. I find it odd that you know 30 people who have had RLE with a commercial outfit & given your stance it's making me question why you are so strongly in favour of high street operations.

You appear angry again, the same as last time we discussed this topic.

You have either not read properly or misunderstood much of what I wrote, for example I have never mentioned NHS consultants. As far as I know, the NHS still doesn't offer surgery for presbyopia or multifocal lenses.

Suffice it to say that I did a lot of research and had an outcome with which I am happy. You appear not to have. I am genuinely sorry that you've had problems, but you seem to be angry towards me for saying that the course of action I took worked well for me and others that I know.

On the subject of 968, you may well be thinking of me when you say that a couple of posters challenged him. He was dogmatically claiming that commercial outfits are the devil incarnate, which the evidence seems to suggest they are not. But to be fair to him, since he seems not to be around anymore to correct you, he never claimed to have seen hundreds of patients with problems caused by the larger operators.

[anonymous-user]

Both mine and my daughter's op, ref above, were done in Kuala Lumpur, her follow up was with specialist in Sydney and Oslo, who both thought the work was first class, current cost looks like around 1200us$, an eye, happy to give you the name of the Doctor if you are interested.
Both the doctors we used qualified at in UK and had practiced at Birmingham Eye,

[TVR1]

megaphone said:

I'm feed up with wearing glasses, have to have multiple pairs, PITA.

Have been looking at options to have replacement lenses fitted in my eyes, not cheap but maybe worth it.

Just looking for advice, opinions, recommendations. Obviously a slight risk it can go wrong. Also want to know about longevity, will I need to go back later in life. I'm mid 50s.

If you want an unbiased opinion, please feel free to PM me.

I’ve very early onset cataracts, in both eyes. 45 and 50 years old. Offered many options. Choosing to replace lenses is a serious decision to make.

1st one went without a hitch. 2nd, in November is odd. The research suggests that for some reason, having another eye done leads to greater complications.

Bifocal lenses are still considered a cosmetic procedure.

I’d consider your age?

Just now, I’ve lenses that allows me to read books (that was my preference)at the best distance without glasses and also with glasses have the eyesight of an Eagle with 1 pair.

I’d suggest a good optician.

They’re the ones who can really advise you.

If you can get into a Moorfields Hospital. Go there. For correct advice.

[TVR1]

Berw said:

Both mine and my daughter's op, ref above, were done in Kuala Lumpur, her follow up was with specialist in Sydney and Oslo, who both thought the work was first class, current cost looks like around 1200us$, an eye, happy to give you the name of the Doctor if you are interested.
Both the doctors we used qualified at in UK and had practiced at Birmingham Eye,

You do realise that this treatment is available in UK under NHS?

Not the bifocal though.

NHS isn’t all about Covid.

[GT03ROB]

TVR1 said:

Berw said:

Both mine and my daughter's op, ref above, were done in Kuala Lumpur, her follow up was with specialist in Sydney and Oslo, who both thought the work was first class, current cost looks like around 1200us$, an eye, happy to give you the name of the Doctor if you are interested.
Both the doctors we used qualified at in UK and had practiced at Birmingham Eye,

You do realise that this treatment is available in UK under NHS?

Not the bifocal though.

NHS isn’t all about Covid.

Berw has been working overseas for a long time he may not be eligible for free NHS treatment. The OP is talking about it to replace glasses, not for cataracts or similar, so it would not be available on the NHS.

[Louis Balfour]

TVR1 said:

I’d consider your age?

I seem to recall that Optical Express were reluctant to operate on someone below 50 (I was below 50).

TVR1 said:

I’d suggest a good optician.

They’re the ones who can really advise you.

I wouldn't attribute particular weight to an optician's advice. Every lens replacement patient patient (that has multifocal lenses anyway) is one fewer customers. There is a conflict of interests.

TVR1 said:

If you can get into a Moorfields Hospital. Go there. For correct advice.

I tried to speak to Moorfields. It was an extremely challenging process and in the end I spoke to two consultants elsewhere.

[mike9009]

I thought I was the only one under 50 to have a cataracts operation.

First eye, I went private at the local hospital. I have had many complications with my eyes over the years and trusted my surgeon. (Retinal laser, vitrectomy, injections). I went for distance, as I was always highly myopic (short sighted). It worked brilliantly, clear, crisp distance vision.

Second eye, I went NHS and I have a slight astygmatism, but still good enough to drive without glasses. Very impressed. In the other thread I wrote more fully about the operation, recovery and immediate reaction.

....now been diagnosed with Glaucoma......

[Louis Balfour]

mike9009 said:

I thought I was the only one under 50 to have a cataracts operation.

First eye, I went private at the local hospital. I have had many complications with my eyes over the years and trusted my surgeon. (Retinal laser, vitrectomy, injections). I went for distance, as I was always highly myopic (short sighted). It worked brilliantly, clear, crisp distance vision.

Second eye, I went NHS and I have a slight astygmatism, but still good enough to drive without glasses. Very impressed. In the other thread I wrote more fully about the operation, recovery and immediate reaction.

....now been diagnosed with Glaucoma......

I doubt you're the only one, but it doesn't seem that common does it.

But presbyopia kicks in below 50 for most people I think. Those people who I know who've had surgery and are below 50 did it only to be free from glasses.

Good luck with the glaucoma; doesn't sound like a great deal of fun.

[TVR1]

Louis Balfour said:

TVR1 said:

I’d consider your age?

I seem to recall that Optical Express were reluctant to operate on someone below 50 (I was below 50).

TVR1 said:

I’d suggest a good optician.

They’re the ones who can really advise you.

I wouldn't attribute particular weight to an optician's advice. Every lens replacement patient patient (that has multifocal lenses anyway) is one fewer customers. There is a conflict of interests.

TVR1 said:

If you can get into a Moorfields Hospital. Go there. For correct advice.

I tried to speak to Moorfields. It was an extremely challenging process and in the end I spoke to two consultants elsewhere.

Apols, I misspoke. I meant a consultant ophthalmologist rather than optician.

RE Moorfields. Get a Drs referral.

[Louis Balfour]

TVR1 said:

Apols, I misspoke. I meant a consultant ophthalmologist rather than optician.

RE Moorfields. Get a Drs referral.

You don't need a doctor's referral, that is not where the problem lies. It's a magnification of the challenge that can often prevail, when dealing with consultants. That being the supporting cast can be pretty clueless.

When I tried to make an appointment with a specific consultant there, it was quite difficult to get hold of his secretary. Moorfields was having phone system problems, apparently. When I did get through to her, she was not particularly familiar with what the surgeon actually did. I needed some specific information before going to the trouble and expense of attending to see the consultant and, when she couldn't answer my question, enquired "well what sort of thing would you like?".

The impression that it gave was one of a chaos. Obviously, Moorfields is globally renown for its eye work, but I was left with the distinct impression that it could be quite hard work dealing with them. I wondered what that might mean if I needed prompt follow-up help.

In the end, I managed to speak directly to two consultants elsewhere and then made my decision based upon what I perceived ongoing support would be like, and volume of operations. It's a truism that if you're going to get someone to do an operation on you, you want a surgeon who has done the procedure frequently and recently.

[968]

megaphone said:

I'm feed up with wearing glasses, have to have multiple pairs, PITA.

Have been looking at options to have replacement lenses fitted in my eyes, not cheap but maybe worth it.

Just looking for advice, opinions, recommendations. Obviously a slight risk it can go wrong. Also want to know about longevity, will I need to go back later in life. I'm mid 50s.

Hi

I am a consultant ophthalmologist who does lens replacement surgery, please feel free to PM me.

[968]

Louis Balfour said:

TVR1 said:

Apols, I misspoke. I meant a consultant ophthalmologist rather than optician.

RE Moorfields. Get a Drs referral.

You don't need a doctor's referral, that is not where the problem lies. It's a magnification of the challenge that can often prevail, when dealing with consultants. That being the supporting cast can be pretty clueless.

When I tried to make an appointment with a specific consultant there, it was quite difficult to get hold of his secretary. Moorfields was having phone system problems, apparently. When I did get through to her, she was not particularly familiar with what the surgeon actually did. I needed some specific information before going to the trouble and expense of attending to see the consultant and, when she couldn't answer my question, enquired "well what sort of thing would you like?".

The impression that it gave was one of a chaos. Obviously, Moorfields is globally renown for its eye work, but I was left with the distinct impression that it could be quite hard work dealing with them. I wondered what that might mean if I needed prompt follow-up help.

In the end, I managed to speak directly to two consultants elsewhere and then made my decision based upon what I perceived ongoing support would be like, and volume of operations. It's a truism that if you're going to get someone to do an operation on you, you want a surgeon who has done the procedure frequently and recently.

Let me clear up a few misconceptions and complete untruths which have been posted here.

Firstly many of the surgeons who work in commercial outfits are consultants and many are on the specialist register, but often consultants who have unable to get substantive post in the NHS.

Secondly, the supporting staff's ability will depend entirely on the organisation or individual you're dealing with. The benefit of dealing with an individual consultant, or a specialist private group practice run by ophthalmologists rather than a massive multinational, is that the individual consultant will take you through the whole journey and discuss in detail the risks and benefits of any option. Going to optical express etc you will not see an ophthalmic surgeon, but an optometrist who has a lot of knowledge about the options but does not operate and takes no responsibility for the outcomes. Often you will only see the surgeon operating on you, as you lie down on the operating table and will not see them again afterwards unless there's a problem.

The other big advantage in dealing with an experienced consultant ophthalmologist rather than a surgeon employed by a company is that an experienced consultant will be used to dealing with complications and complex surgery, which can happen. Surgeons working in high volume, high throughput centres are often not used to dealing with complications and often dump them on the consultants who work in the NHS. I see this often and then have to manage the mess from commercial outfits.

There are group private practices run by ophthalmologists that work as a commercial entity and therefore have the convenience which you seem to desire but also the security to ensure the surgery is done properly and to a high standard.

For the OP, depending on your location I can probably recommend good surgeons. Please don't look at going to eastern europe for a cheap solution as mentioned here. Again I've seen some horrendous disasters. The advantage of choosing here is that surgeons are highly regulated and monitored in terms of outcomes and safety.