Laser eye surgeryLaser eye surgery consultation standards

More than half the laser eye surgery consultations were rated unsatisfactory

Were the risks of laser eye surgery explained?

Not so, it seems. More than half of the visits to laser eye surgery clinics were rated ‘unsatisfactory’, as staff got the basics wrong. Laser eye surgery clinics played down the level and possible duration of risks and complications of laser eye surgery. Serious complications to laser eye surgery are rare but, in extreme cases, patients can be left with debilitating long-term problems such as severe dry eyes or poor night vision, and can even lose some sight after laser eye surgery.

One branch of Optimax told our researcher that she would be at higher risk of night vision problems after laser eye surgery because of her large pupils, but incorrectly minimised the small chance of this being long term, saying ‘this only lasts up to about two months’. Three out of five Optimax visits were rated satisfactory by our laser eye surgery experts.

Three of our researchers have problems with dry eyes but, out of their nine laser eye surgery consultations, only four laser eye surgery clinics addressed it or mentioned the risk of longer-term dry eye that laser eye surgery might cause. These were two branches of Optimax, one Optical Express and one Ultralase.

During one visit to another branch of Optical Express – rated ‘very unsatisfactory’ – one researcher was told: ‘As long as you’re under my control, you won’t get even an infection or any inflammation’. Another staff member there told the researcher: ‘Things cannot go wrong’. One of our experts says: ‘This is dreadful practice – no professional can give this guarantee.’ None of the four branches of Optical Express had a satisfactory rating for their laser eye surgery consultations.

He adds: ‘No matter how good the written information is – and I must praise the high-street laser eye surgery clinics for the quality of written material – if someone tells you that there’s no risk or “vision will be fixed”, that’s what you’ll believe.’

Our experts also criticised an Ultralase laser eye surgery clinic where the researcher was told that her eye was ‘abnormal’ and ‘suspicious-looking’. The researcher says: ‘I was made to feel that there was something inherently abnormal about my eyes.’ Only one of the five Ultralase branches was rated satisfactory for its laser eye surgery consultation.

One of our experts says: ‘Although we considered this visit satisfactory overall, the way the findings were communicated was unprofessional and could have caused great concern.’

Did the laser eye surgery consultation include eye history?

During initial laser eye surgery consultations, certain questions and tests are vital if you are to make an informed decision about the best laser eye surgery option for you, and be aware of any increased risks of laser eye surgery relating to your eyes.

One researcher has binocular vision problems, so further tests are needed to see if she is at risk of double vision after laser eye surgery. But one branch of each of the three high-street laser eye surgery chains failed to ask the right questions, or read the answers on her health questionnaires, to find out that she had the condition.

And one independent laser eye surgery clinic was criticised for inadequate eye testing. It is unlikely that the laser eye surgery clinic would have found out, for example, if the researcher had glaucoma, which would have made her a very high-risk patient. However, three out of four independent laser eye surgery clinic visits were rated satisfactory.

High expectations of laser eye surgery

You may expect that the ‘visual freedom’ claimed in laser eye surgery adverts means freedom from glasses or contact lenses. But even if the laser eye surgery fully corrects your eyes for distance vision, you’re still likely to need reading glasses when you reach 45-50 years of age. Almost half of our researchers weren’t told about this, despite asking whether they might need glasses after laser eye surgery.

Priya Singh, medical director of the Medical Protection Society, which indemnifies doctors, says: ‘Most complaints about surgery are down to unrealistic expectations… advertising shows young healthy people who do not need glasses – clinics must ensure that they communicate the reality, including the need for glasses as we age, to patients.’

Meeting the surgeon before laser eye surgery

With the three high-street laser eye surgery clinics, it’s likely that you’ll first meet your surgeon on the day of the laser eye surgery, though the Royal College of Ophthalmologists standard says that you should meet your surgeon at least 24 hours before laser eye surgery.

Though surgeons must then examine you, ensure you fully understand the risks and make the final decision on your suitability for laser eye surgery, our laser eye surgery experts consider the initial consultation key to your decision. As one expert says: ‘By the time the patient sees the surgeon, they’re psyched up and unlikely to pull out, even if the surgeon has a different view on the level of risk or most suitable laser eye surgery procedure.’

Not meeting your surgeon until the day of laser eye surgery can also lead to costly last-minute changes in treatment, as the daughter of Which? member Carol Pattinson found out.

At her initial laser eye surgery consultation, Louise Holder was told that she was suitable for standard Lasik laser eye surgery at a branch of Optical Express. But, when she met the surgeon on the day of her laser eye surgery, she was shocked to find that she needed Wavefront treatment, as she has large pupils. Despite a discount offered on the higher priced laser eye surgery treatment, she paid more than £1,500 extra to go ahead.