After Scotland, I finally decided that I cared enough to look at laser eye surgery. The problem is rain-on-glasses; on the summit plateau of Ben Nevis, I could barely see anything, and white snow and white cloud makes it hard to see what you can't see. This has obvious implications for safety. After some research-aka-googling, I went to talk to Optical Express, who told me I would get Refractive lens replacement surgery not lasering. This is because... natural lenses tend to start going around sixty or whenever; I forget the exact details doubtless you can find them if you care. Getting tested takes an hour and a half and involves about eight different machines, and ends with what is doubtless intended to be a reassuring video narrated by what looks like a prosperous farmer in a nice three-piece tweed suit, but is actually their CEO. Mostly, they are trying to reassure you that the chances of them miss-slicing up your eyeballs are small.Lens replacement is more expensive; I was quoted and accepted £9590 for both. Trying to scout around for comparison is tricky, since people are shy about revealing prices. I decided to wing it and not go for two or three quotes.
The promise is that I won't need glasses afterwards. They are a touch vague about exactly how much I won't need them, but I'm reasonably confident they'll do as well as anyone, so I'm just going to suck it and see.
I thought about it for a week and could see no reason not to proceed so I did, booking my appoinment for early-April and handing over my £1k deposit. Naturally there is financing available, but I avoided that. Now I wait, having paid my £8590 balance (actually £8690, because they mistakenly added in a £100 price increase, but they have promised me the £100 back).
2026/3/31: I had my I had my videophone (Teams) chat with my eye surgeon today. All well, he answered my questions (mostly: what is the delay post-op about? Ans: mostly, letting a non-symmetrical lens settle in, so that any shocks won’t cause it to rotate). He did say they weren’t certain of getting my lenses in on time, but we’ll see (geddit?).
Both eyes at same time ?
ReplyDeleteAnd... are adjustable lenses standard now. At one point I believe some people had one eye for near vision and one for distance
Yup. I am told it is standard, and the recovery time is quick.
DeleteI am slightly vague about the near / far: I am getting different adjustments for dominant / non-dom eye, and one of those is prioritised for far and one for near. But also the lenses are adjustable, not rigid. And also the lenses (see text on pic) are multi-focal, somewhat like varifocal glasses, but circularly; there's something about how wide your pupil is in there.
Ah, OK. Lenses used to be less flexible. Sounds like they still do the near/far thing, but with the lenses being more on a continuum.
DeleteI went for Laser once they got the "computer does it stuff" and has lasted a good 15-20 years. I've had my eyes on Lens as I knew they were getting better.