Laser Eye Surgery Reviews and Testimonials

As a hardened contact lens wearer I thought these little clear artificial lenses I stuck in my eyes each day were groundbreaking.

At 21 I was so vain I refused to wear glasses and bumped into a few lampposts and tripped over as many kerbs before going to the opticians. Contact lenses were brilliant.

I could finally see. The world wasn’t a blurred place after all, colours didn’t merge into one and I realised I actually had a handsome boyfriend.

But for 17 years I’ve had to put in my contact lenses every morning, then take them out each night. I’ve had to regularly clean them, have got the occasional eye infection and had many irritating pieces of grit stuck behind them.

Although they were a great improvement from before, surely there must be something simpler than being tied to a bottle of multipurpose cleaning solution and two clear wobbly discs.

So when eye laser surgery came along I was very interested.

For years I have toyed with the idea and after a free consultation I was booked in. New eyes for Christmas was a fantastic present.

20/20 vision is something so many of you take for granted, but for those of us who live in that fuzzy old world, this is unbelievable. At Optical Express in Northumberland Road, Newcastle, I underwent my life changing experience.

My surgeon was Dr Lorrimer Esselaar, who has done thousands of eye laser procedures and even worked as a specialist and head of Department of Ophthalmology at the Private Royal Hospital of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam before coming to England. I was in safe hands and actually found the whole experience quite relaxing.

There are two common types of laser eye surgery procedure, Lasik and Lasek.

Lasik is a more invasive surgical procedure compared to Lasek, but its appeal to patients is attributed to its faster visual recovery time and minimal discomfort.

The cornea is the clear structure at the front of the eye which covers the iris and the pupil area. It has five layers, Lasik involves creating a corneal “flap” of tissue with a mechanical instrument called a Keratome, the flap has a “hinge”. It is gently lifted and laser is applied to the middle corneal layer. Lasik has a faster visual recovery, minimal discomfort and gives greater potential for successfully treating higher degrees of short and long sight when compared to the Lasek procedure.

I had Lasik with IntraLase - which is an alternative method to creating the protective flap, which is the first part of the Lasik procedure, by using a precision laser. For more than 10 years standard mechanical methods have been used which have been proven to provide excellent outcomes. However, through IntraLase precision laser technology, you can now have an alternative.

The IntraLase laser is precisely focused to a point within the cornea, where thousands of microscopic bubbles are formed. It enables the surgeon to design and control many aspects of the flap such as thickness, its circumference, and the angle of its edges, effectively tailoring the protective flap to the eye.

The second part of the procedure is when the surgeon gently lifts the flap to allow the laser treatment. The benefits of IntraLase enables even faster healing and recovery rates. It all sounds complicated, but it was done within minutes. I felt no pain and could instantly see afterwards, albeit not perfectly. I had to go home and sleep and let my eyes rest. I woke up to a little discomfort, took two paracetamol, and fell back asleep for another few hours. And when I woke up again a miracle had taken place.

I turned around and could read the time on my clock - without the aid of my specs. It did what it says on the tin - I could see. I hadn’t experienced this for almost 20 years. I didn’t need contact lenses and can now take pleasure as I stamp on my glasses. I’m as good as new. The next day I started a cocktail of eye drops - artificial tears, an antibiotic and an anti- inflammatory.

But less than 24 hours later I had almost 20/20 vision and throughout the day that peaked to perfection. These happenings were once only talked about in the Bible, but I can tell you it’s now happening on the corner of Northumberland Road.

It means I can wake up with a hangover and not have to worry if I forgot to take out my contact lenses the night before. It also means I can join in with water sports with my kids on holiday. In fact, they have already roped me in for white water rafting, something I’d never have agreed to because of the fear of losing my contacts if I went into the water.

Am I happy? Yes, the only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier.

Evening Chronicle -  11th December 2006

Lisa Hutchinson, Journalist, Evening Chronicle

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