Laser eye surgeryLaser eye surgery consultations

Which? goes undercover to investigate laser eye surgery consultations

If you hate wearing glasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery adverts offering to ‘transform your life’ can appeal. Most people get good results from laser eye surgery, but our investigation into the advice and testing you get at initial laser eye surgery consultations found that less than half of the visits were up to scratch and none were ideal.

We also found that – in the case of Optical Express and Optimax – laser eye surgery prices were often hundreds of pounds higher than those advertised. Overall, researchers were often pressured to opt for pricier laser eye surgery options, or – at one branch of Optical Express – to sign up for laser eye surgery straight away so they could get a discount. 

None of the laser eye surgery chains came out better overall and, according to our experts, it’s clear that they (and independents) need to improve standards of laser eye surgery consultation and laser eye surgery sales techniques.

Laser eye surgery has been available for about 20 years. Around 80% of laser eye surgery patients use the high-street names Optical Express, Optimax and Ultralase, but laser eye surgery is also performed in independent laser eye surgery clinics, some of which are in NHS or private hospitals.

When we investigated initial phone advice on laser eye surgery in 2005, the results were poor. Surgery techniques and regulation have moved on considerably, so we sent researchers to clinics to see whether advice there was any better.

Which? investigated laser eye surgery consultations

Our research into laser eye surgery consultations

In winter 2008, five undercover researchers with a range of eye conditions asked for laser eye surgery consultations at 18 laser eye surgery clinics, including high-street laser eye surgery chains Optical Express, Optimax and Ultralase, smaller groups and independent laser eye surgery clinics.

The recorded laser eye surgery consultations were assessed by a laser eye surgeon and two clinical researchers with expertise in laser eye surgery.

Our laser eye surgery experts based their own criteria on voluntary standards of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Which? verdict on laser eye surgery consultations

Consumers must be told about all the potential risks of laser eye surgery if they are to make informed decisions about whether laser eye surgery is right for them, and they should receive good-quality, accurate verbal as well as written information about laser eye surgery services on offer from the outset.

Laser eye surgery companies must keep themselves up to date with consumer protection regulations to ensure that they don’t use misleading statements during laser eye surgery consultations. And even where laser eye surgery companies are acting within the letter of the law, they should also act within the spirit of it by making sure that advertised prices for laser eye surgery are as close as possible to what laser eye surgery is likely to cost for the average patient.

Health regulators must ensure that their inspections get to the heart of the quality of what’s offered by laser eye surgery clinics. Introducing mystery shopping would encourage laser eye surgery services that people can commit to with their eyes open. And we’re worried that in Scotland there is currently no inspection of laser eye surgery clinics, though we’re told that this is planned in the near future by the Care Commission.

If laser eye surgery isn’t for you, see our how to buy glasses and contact lenses guide.