Laser Eye Surgery Patient Journey
Discover the patient journey, following the steps from your first consultation through to treatment day.
Your Free Consultation
Optimax is the only Laser Eye Surgery Clinic to provide a Patient Results Forecast customised to your prescription & age, using actual live patient data.
We will take automated tests of your eyes, which include digital imaging of the eye, computer measured glasses prescription, corneal thickness, OPD Wavefront analysis, iris recognition and internal eye pressure tests.
These tests take around 30 minutes and are pain-free. Your personal consultation will establish if you are suitable for treatment. You will receive a thorough eye examination to ensure the health of your eyes and a second eye test to verify your prescription. We will discuss your general health, lifestyle and personal expectations for good vision.
You will be advised of all relevant risks and alternatives, and have the opportunity to ask any questions. We will then advise you of your suitability for treatment. For high prescriptions, eye drops may be applied to examine the eye and you may be unable to drive for up to 24 hours while your vision is blurred. You are welcome to be accompanied.
Consultations are subject to a booking deposit (£10 weekdays, £30 Weekends) this is refundable after attending the consultation.
Ready to start your journey to clear, natural vision at Optimax?
Contact Lens Wearers
Contact lenses affect the surface of the eye and they must be removed before your consultation and treatment. Eye tests can be inaccurate if you have not removed your lenses for long enough.
- Soft/Disposable/Toric lenses: remove for two days before consultation.
- Extended wear lenses: leave out for one full week.
- Hard, gas permeable: remove for three weeks before consultation. Soft lenses may be used instead.
Surgeon Assessment
You will have your surgeon assessment 1-2 weeks before your treatment date. At the appointment, you will meet your treating surgeon who will examine your eyes and confirm the best treatment option for you. This is also when you can ask any questions regarding your treatment.
Treatment
On your treatment day you are required to attend with someone to accompany you and take you home as your vision will likely be blurry and not safe for driving. Before treatment, you will see the surgeon again who will check your eyes for a final time and confirm the settings for your prescription on the laser machine.
You will also complete a medication talk with your Patient Advisor and discuss your individual aftercare plan, with the specific medicines and instructions. Following this, you will be taken into the treatment room to meet the registered general nurse and the laser assistants.
You will be in the treatment room for no longer than 15 minutes, although the lasers only take 20 seconds to create the corneal flap (for LASIK treatment only) and a further 30-50 seconds for the actual laser treatment.
You will then be given your final medications and taken into the consultation room to see your optometrist again. This is where they will conduct a final check on your eyes and confirm that they are happy for you to leave the clinic.
Your aftercare appointments are the next time you will be back in the clinic, and when this is will vary depending on whether you had LASIK or LASEK treatment.
Lifetime Aftercare
It is very important that you attend your aftercare appointments as recommended by our medical team. At Optimax, all necessary aftercare is included free of charge.
All aftercare appointments are free of charge within 12 months of your treatment date or until you are discharged. Thereafter any aftercare appointments conducted by the company are chargeable.
If, during an aftercare visit, it is deemed that a retreatment is necessary in order to improve your visual results, there will be no further charge for your aftercare, retreatment or any appointment conducted within 12 months of your retreatment.
Aftercare Appointment Programme
| LASEK | LASIK | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st visit | 3–5 days* | 1 day |
| 2nd visit | 7–14 days | 7–14 days |
| 3rd visit | 1 month | 1 month |
| 4th visit | 3 months (discharge if satisfactory) | 3 months (discharge if satisfactory) |
* Bandage lenses need to be removed at Optimax after 3–5 days.
Occasionally your surgeon may prescribe prescription eye drops. Unfortunately we are unable to dispense any prescription medication in our clinics, and they will be charged for by your dispensing chemist.
Lubrication eye drops may be available at Optimax clinics at a charge; these are not provided under the Lifetime Aftercare Guarantee.
