Optical Express

[L1OFF]

Following an eye test at my opticians a few months ago where I discovered I have cataracts I have just signed up with Optical Express to have them done. Driving at night had become a real problem and as I come under railway requirements for eyesight need to progress asap. Looked at NHS (wow I knew it was in trouble but 3 year minimum wait).

So booked in for the works, cataracts and eyesight correction

[Mr Pointy]

I'll just leave this here.

https://www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/OERML/

There's plenty of threads about eye surgery & surgeons if you search.

[L1OFF]

Mr Pointy said:

I'll just leave this here.

https://www.opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/OERML/

There's plenty of threads about eye surgery & surgeons if you search.

I dont have Facebook

[Mr Pointy]

The first one is a link & you don't need FB to seach this forum. Maybe your eyesight is worse than you think.

[L1OFF]

Actually I was hoping that I might have a response or two from people who have had experience of having it done. Read a couple of those that you highlighted but I have to have my cataracts done and I can't wait for the NHS.

[mike9009]

I wrote quite extensively about having it done in about Feb 2020. Probably an interesting read as now I don't really remember the immediate recovery etc.

I was always very short sighted, so when I had my cataracts done I went for good long vision. I now don't need to wear glasses for driving etc. but need so e for screen work etc

So far, no problems and don't regret it. One eye I went privately and the other I waited for the NHS waiting list. Had the same surgeon each time, but was recommended to wait six months at least between both in case of complications....

[HelenT]

L1OFF said:

Following an eye test at my opticians a few months ago where I discovered I have cataracts I have just signed up with Optical Express to have them done. Driving at night had become a real problem and as I come under railway requirements for eyesight need to progress asap. Looked at NHS (wow I knew it was in trouble but 3 year minimum wait).

So booked in for the works, cataracts and eyesight correction

Depends on where you live but there are options to get cataract surgery under the NHS but without the long wait. There are plenty of private companies who have NHS contracts to perform cataract surgery. Here in Shropshire we have New Medica ,Spa Medica and the Nuffield all doing NHS funded work so consequently I'm getting patients back for post operative checks (I'm an Optician) who have only waited 6 weeks for surgery (and that should improve as the referral system has just been streamlined so that we don't need the GP to send the referral in to the booking system. Unfortunately for those patients living on the Welsh side of the border it's an up to 2 year wait.
The feedback we have had on Shrewsbury New Medica has been excellent.
I would chat to your Optician they should know if there are local alternatives.

[L1OFF]

HelenT said:

Depends on where you live but there are options to get cataract surgery under the NHS but without the long wait. There are plenty of private companies who have NHS contracts to perform cataract surgery. Here in Shropshire we have New Medica ,Spa Medica and the Nuffield all doing NHS funded work so consequently I'm getting patients back for post operative checks (I'm an Optician) who have only waited 6 weeks for surgery (and that should improve as the referral system has just been streamlined so that we don't need the GP to send the referral in to the booking system. Unfortunately for those patients living on the Welsh side of the border it's an up to 2 year wait.
The feedback we have had on Shrewsbury New Medica has been excellent.
I would chat to your Optician they should know if there are local alternatives.

Thanks Helen that is much appreciated. Am I correct in thinking that a cataract operation won't improve my vison (apart from the effects of the cataracts) and would still need glasses or laser treatment?

[L1OFF]

mike9009 said:

I wrote quite extensively about having it done in about Feb 2020. Probably an interesting read as now I don't really remember the immediate recovery etc.

I was always very short sighted, so when I had my cataracts done I went for good long vision. I now don't need to wear glasses for driving etc. but need so e for screen work etc

So far, no problems and don't regret it. One eye I went privately and the other I waited for the NHS waiting list. Had the same surgeon each time, but was recommended to wait six months at least between both in case of complications....

I was thinking of completing a diary of the events leading up to, during and post procedure results.

[DKL]

L1OFF said:

HelenT said:

Depends on where you live but there are options to get cataract surgery under the NHS but without the long wait. There are plenty of private companies who have NHS contracts to perform cataract surgery. Here in Shropshire we have New Medica ,Spa Medica and the Nuffield all doing NHS funded work so consequently I'm getting patients back for post operative checks (I'm an Optician) who have only waited 6 weeks for surgery (and that should improve as the referral system has just been streamlined so that we don't need the GP to send the referral in to the booking system. Unfortunately for those patients living on the Welsh side of the border it's an up to 2 year wait.
The feedback we have had on Shrewsbury New Medica has been excellent.
I would chat to your Optician they should know if there are local alternatives.

Thanks Helen that is much appreciated. Am I correct in thinking that a cataract operation won't improve my vison (apart from the effects of the cataracts) and would still need glasses or laser treatment?

My local NM and Spa Med are quoting 13 weeks from referral to surgery, even the local HospES manage 18 months although I never recommend it, far too long.
The surgeons will try for emmetropia (no DV prescription) but rarely get there. That's unfair, it's not that they could do better it's just how it works out. You will need a reading prescription and you will almost certainly need a distance one too. But the latter will be much lower than pre op. If you like to be able to read without glasses (so if you are shortsighted now) and would like this to be maintained make sure you tell the surgeon at your pre op visit as otherwise it won't happen and they probably won't ask. Some do but it seems to be the minority.
3 years is daft , there must be much better options. Privately it's £1500-2000 an eye. Personally OE wouldn't be doing mine...
Search out your local BMI hospital or local private clinic. Some here in Wiltshire if that helps.

Edited by DKL on Wednesday 14th February 13:06

[Mr Pointy]

L1OFF said:

Actually I was hoping that I might have a response or two from people who have had experience of having it done. Read a couple of those that you highlighted but I have to have my cataracts done and I can't wait for the NHS.

There's a long thread here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Several posters detail their experiences on that thread.

There used to be a consultant surgeon who posted on here (username 968) who was experienced with some of the results of the work done by high street organisations. Sadly he no longer posts but there are a couple of threads here:

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

Incredible as it might seem the provision of optical surgery is almost unregulated & there are many very unpleasant outcomes. Surgeons have been struck off in the past.

I would strongly advise you to research local NHS consultants & see one of them privately rather than go to a high street chain.

[Louis Balfour]

Mr Pointy said:

L1OFF said:

Actually I was hoping that I might have a response or two from people who have had experience of having it done. Read a couple of those that you highlighted but I have to have my cataracts done and I can't wait for the NHS.

There's a long thread here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Several posters detail their experiences on that thread.

There used to be a consultant surgeon who posted on here (username 968) who was experienced with some of the results of the work done by high street organisations. Sadly he no longer posts but there are a couple of threads here:

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

Incredible as it might seem the provision of optical surgery is almost unregulated & there are many very unpleasant outcomes. Surgeons have been struck off in the past.

I would strongly advise you to research local NHS consultants & see one of them privately rather than go to a high street chain.

For balance:

I had lens replacement ten years ago, not because I had cataracts, but because I was fed up with glasses.

I spoke to a consultant surgeon and two commercial operators. I did a lot of research and discussed the issue on several medical forums.

I chose Optical Express. Why? because it turned out that I knew a number of people who had used them without any issues. I am also intuitively drawn to volume operators in the commercial sector, because they tend to be good at what they do. I was told who my surgeon would be, I researched him and he had done twenty-six gazillion identical operations.

Conversely, I also heard of a number of people who had experienced difficulties after going direct to a surgeon. Very often these problems pivoted on the surgeon not being accessible and the only support being via the surgeon's secretary. Several people eventually managed to see their surgeon again and were subsequently diagnosed with an infection in one or both eyes. The most recent example of this was about three months ago, an older chap I know had the surgery via a consultant. Had problems, couldn't access help swiftly, had an infection.

I didn't have an infection, but had some concerns on two or three occasions. These mostly related to eye dryness, but also posterior capsular opacification, which is a common side effect of the surgery. On every, and I mean every, occasion I was seen immediately. The same day if I wanted it. Not by the surgeon obviously, but his team. They dealt efficiently with my concerns. YAG laser surgery for the PCO was organised swiftly and efficiently.

People will read what they will into those other threads, but if I recall correctly there was consultant surgeon on one or more of them who was making claims that were patently untrue. Also one of the posters who'd used a consultant subsequently went on to develop problems.

I was, and remain, sceptical when someone with a vested interest lays into large commercial competitors, in the same way as I would be if my local Ford dealer started rubbishing WBAC.

I cannot honestly say a bad word about Optical Express and I have no affiliation to them at all. Yes, there was the whiff of conveyor belt operation about it. No it was not luxurious in any way, and conducted in an operating theatre above an unassuming retail building. But the quality of the outcome and t care exceeded anything I have experienced within the NHS or private medicine.

[L1OFF]

Thanks chaps.

Lots of information to read through. The chap OE have me down to see was a Consultant at Guys & St Thomas's.

[Louis Balfour]

L1OFF said:

Thanks chaps.

Lots of information to read through. The chap OE have me down to see was a Consultant at Guys & St Thomas's.

Quite. Some of the stuff on the other threads would have you believe that the surgeons used by the commercial firms are somehow not qualified to perform surgery. In my experience, the opposite was true. None of the surgeons, who could have operated on me, were anything other than highly experienced surgeons, with years served in private medicine and the NHS.

Qualified surgeons don't suddenly become incompetent, reckless, fools because they are working in a commercial setting. My view is that the the obverse is more likely to be true - there are fewer places to hide in industry than within the NHS.

[chemistry]

L1OFF said:

Thanks Helen that is much appreciated. Am I correct in thinking that a cataract operation won't improve my vison (apart from the effects of the cataracts) and would still need glasses or laser treatment?

I'm not an expert, but f you are going private, aren't multi-focal or extended depth of field lenses an option?

As I understand it, rather than just good distance vision (but still needing glasses for intermediate and close up) these give you good distance vision, with functional to good intermediate and close vision. Some drawbacks, such as halos at night in some people and reduced contrast sensitivity. I think the multi focals give you the best range of vision (extended depth of field aren't as good for near vision) BUT have slightly more side effects (greater risk of halos at night).

I have multi-focal contact lenses which work in a similar way and they are great...good distance vision, good intermediate vision and functional to good close up vision (depending on how bright it is).

(Purely because you mentioned them, but Optical Express offer multi foical lenses for example....https://www.opticalexpress.co.uk/cataract-surgery/pricing)

[Mr Pointy]

L1OFF said:

Thanks Helen that is much appreciated. Am I correct in thinking that a cataract operation won't improve my vison (apart from the effects of the cataracts) and would still need glasses or laser treatment?

Haven't you gone through this with the surgeon? Whoever you saw (was it the consultant doing the operation?) should have gone through the options & potential issues of each.

When your natural lenses are taken out & replaced you'll end up with fixed focus vision - but whether it's sharp at distance or close up is up to you. Most people have it set for sharp distance vison & accept they might need reading glasses. You could have it set for reading & wear glasses for distance but I supect that's quite rare. One other option is to have your dominant eye set for distance & the other for reading - called monovision & it can work well.

I would be very careful before deciding to go for so-called multifocal lenses.

if you have other issues like astigmatism then the replacement lenses won't correct that & you might decide to have that corrected via laser tretment.

[Louis Balfour]

Mr Pointy said:

I would be very careful before deciding to go for so-called multifocal lenses.

Out of interest why?

[L1OFF]

Mr Pointy said:

Haven't you gone through this with the surgeon? Whoever you saw (was it the consultant doing the operation?) should have gone through the options & potential issues of each.

When your natural lenses are taken out & replaced you'll end up with fixed focus vision - but whether it's sharp at distance or close up is up to you. Most people have it set for sharp distance vison & accept they might need reading glasses. You could have it set for reading & wear glasses for distance but I supect that's quite rare. One other option is to have your dominant eye set for distance & the other for reading - called monovision & it can work well.

I would be very careful before deciding to go for so-called multifocal lenses.

if you have other issues like astigmatism then the replacement lenses won't correct that & you might decide to have that corrected via laser tretment.

Not spoken to the surgeon yet only the sales person and the optometrist. My eyes can only have the monofocal according to the optometrist (if they could have sold me multi's I'm sure they would have as they are dearer) I'm happy with intermediate and long distance with reading glasses as required. As I have said I've not spoken to the surgeon yet and will have a number of questions and things to discuss.

[Four Litre]

L1OFF said:

Following an eye test at my opticians a few months ago where I discovered I have cataracts I have just signed up with Optical Express to have them done. Driving at night had become a real problem and as I come under railway requirements for eyesight need to progress asap. Looked at NHS (wow I knew it was in trouble but 3 year minimum wait).

So booked in for the works, cataracts and eyesight correction

I have some major eye problems and have met a number of others who have similar problems, just caused by different things. I would say be VERY VERY careful using Optical Express, I've met two people who's lives have been completely ruined by them, with no way of fixing the problem.

My advice is don't go cheap on your eyes, its amazing as to how much you use them.

Edited by Four Litre on Friday 16th February 09:07

[DKL]

Louis Balfour said:

Mr Pointy said:

I would be very careful before deciding to go for so-called multifocal lenses.

Out of interest why?

If your driving force is to remove the need to use glasses at all then a multifocal may be an option. If at any point you feel the need to ask "how well will I see afterwards" then you probably aren't. Your visual performance will not be as good with multifocals in comparison with sv implants and glasses. But you have to have glasses.
Monovision works really well for some but others hate it. Get them to try you in some contact lenses first, these you can just take them out and throw them away if you don't like it. Obviously the issue is the level of vision because of the cataracts for that trial but it may be an option.