Optical Express Reviews and Ratings

Myself and my husband both had laser eye surgery at Optical Express on 13th March 2012 and are very pleased with the results. I had intralease- Lasik and my husband had Wavefront - Lasik.

We both now only need glasses for reading which is a +1.50, so we are now able to just buy our reading glasses over the counter like at BHS or Boots instead of going to the opticians which is great and cheaper!!!

My eyes were -2.25 and the surgery costed me £1300, i had a voucher of £150 and was accepted on the 2 years instalmment repayment - about £46 per month. Which was the price i wud spend on contact lens every month anyway.

the surgery was done at harley street, london. the surgery itself is painless, and the surgeon very helpful. He will explain to you each and every little process that is about to happen, by the time he is telling you,it already happens, a very reasuring feeling to know that it is normal to see or feel the way you are feeling. the surgery took like 6 minutes, the laser itself took only 1 min for both eyes.

I would definitely recommend friends and families.

In November 2011, I had Lasik Advanced Customvue Wavefront laser eye surgery at the Liverpool Optical Express store. I was fortunate enough to get a cancellation which reduced my price down by £500. The whole experience from start to finish has been excellent. Friendly staff who have explained everything, either with or without prompting. On the day of the procedure, I was a bit apprehensive but I need not have worried. It was one of the easiest things with no pain involved and staff that checked if you were ok every few minutes. It was all over in 15 minutes and I only had a bit of discomfort in the next twelve hours. The aftercare has been fantastic as well. I would highly recommend anyone who is thinking about this procedure to do so.

Everything was good from beginning to end and the after-care was excellent. keep it up the good work!

Highly recommended clinic in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The whole team from surgical to aftercare were exceptional and left me completely at ease. Don't think about it, just go here for eye surgery, it's changed my life.

After feeling very apprehensive, I found the whole procedure extremely satisfactory.
Close & middle distance vision is superb, long distance could be slightly better, but I'm told this will improve with time.

The staff were really kind and all very knowledgable (most having had the surgery!) I was a bit nervous during the surgery but all the technicians told me exactly what was going on so I felt reassured. I could see literally straight away but I did as I was told for the rest of the day and went to sleep for a coupel of hours..then I tried not to focus on anything for the rest of the day, the next day I woke and and was reading absolutely everything, clear as a bell!! I took all my drops as perscribed and had no bad affects..Im still taking the moisture drops occassionally as I work on a computer all day and they sometimes get a bit dry, but its AMAZING,im SO pleased I had it done, and would recommend it to everyone! I know the treatment is quite expensive but; from first hand experience; its worth every penny!

When i went for the test regarding suitability I was impressed with the explanations i got . I also liked the options explained to me and was not pressured into choose the most expensive .The actual operation was quite comfortable and i was consistently reassured by the staff that all was ok .it wasnt too unpleasant afterwards ,just a couple of hours with some pain and discomfort ,but by 8 o'clock that night i was able to watch television . The results are very pleasing and the follow up service is excellent .

I went to Optical Express at Lakeside in Essex to have both my eyes lasered and i must say its the best thing i have ever done. My eyesight was -2.50 in both eyes which isnt that bad but the thought of wearing contact lenses and glasses for the rest of my life was really depressing me. I was wearing contact lenses for about 20 years when one day i got an ulcer in my left eye caused by the a contact lense. This is when i decided to have the surgery.
I went to see the consultant who said i was suitable to have the treatment, i then booked the surgery for a few weeks later. On the day of the surgery i was very nervous but i shouldn't have worried as the Optical Express staff were very friendly and helpfull and the surgeon was also very friendly and made me feel at ease. I had the surgery which took 10 minutes and was painless, i had a slight discomfort in my eyes for a few minutes after the surgery but with the eye drops given to me they were fine a few hours after. I had to wear sunglasses for my journey home as the bright lights made it a bit uncomfortable, when i got home i went to sleep for a few hours and when i woke up my eyesight was better then 20/20. I had to sleep with goggles on for a few days so i wouldn't rub my eyes when i was a sleep. I had to keep using 2 different types of eye drops for 6 months after the surgery which is normal.

Having this surgery was one of the best decisions I have made. I wore contact lenses and glasses (left -7.50, right -6.25) since the age of 10/11. My eyesight was deteriorating and my ability to wear contact lenses in an air-conditioned office environment was decreasing. At the very least it is worth having the intial consultation to determine whether this is right for you and it is not a decision to be taken lightly, but I was sold immediately. As I sat waiting to be seen a girl walked out of surgery with her sunglasses on and proclaimed "I can see". Optical express is brilliant. It can feel that you are on a bit of a conveyor belt, but it is oddly reassuring to know that so many people are having this procedure. The staff are all very friendly. It would be fair to say that they all seem quite streched at times, but they do their best to see you on time and are all very well trained. On the day of the surgery they couldn't do more for you. Even if you don't have someone there to see you home, they will make sure that you are well looked after. I have described the surgery itself to others as being like you are in a "space ship" - a bit surreal. The technology is cutting edge. Afterwards my eyes were sore and they took a short while to settle in the week after, but when I had questions I phoned Optical Express and they saw me a couple of times extra until my inflamation had subsided. Some say they don't find the surgery sore, but that seems to vary depending on your prescription. You sleep/close your eyes for about five hours after and it is like having a very constant headache. The key is to get home and shut your eyes asap. My eyes weren't particulary watery, but they were sensitive. A lot of people talk about dryness afterwards. Yes, your eyes are dry - they are recovering from being cut open after all. I still use drops each day (6 months on), but I was doing that with contact lenses anyway and the number of drops I have to put in my eyes pales in to significance vis a vis the benefits. On price, I think it was worth it and I was at the higher end of the scale - around £3,500. Depending on what you choose the payment plan can be interest free. I would highly recommend Optical Express and the surgery. I looked at other price structures etc but none seemed to compare.

At the initial consultation I decided that i wanted monovision as i wore contact lenses.One for distance and one for near vision. If I had just had correction for distance i would have needed reading glasses for everything close up including looking at my watch. i didn't want to do this so it made sense to go for monovision. The laser optometrist answered all of my questions and I expressed a wish to see the surgeon before the day of surgery which was arranged for me. The surgeon Joanna Macgraw at Optical Express at Reading also answered my many questions. I had the painless surgery on September 1st and immediately afterwards despite my blurry eyes I could see better. After the surgery you should expect to have very watery eyes and be very sensitive to sunlight. Sunglasses are a must. You will probably have very bloodshot eyes and red marks which are bruises. Do not worry about this as they will fade and do not hurt. My advice would be to go straight home to bed and close your eyes even if you can't sleep and put plenty of tear drops in and of course make sure you also put in the medication drops. At my 1 week check up I was told that I had 20/20 vision. I have now stopped the medication drops and am just using the tear drops. I expected to suffer greatly from dry eye as women tend to suffer more then men and as we get older our eyes tend to get dryer.
I have been pleasantly surprised and I am very happy with the result. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Joanna Macgraw.

Had the surgery 2 years ago, I remember it as being a very simple exercise. Don't remember ever feeling pressured into anything. Had all pre-op checks at the Leeds branch, very helpful and friendly staff. Surgery was at The Trafford Centre branch, (personal choice), busy branch in a bizarre setting, but very friendly and helpful staff.

It's not going to cost you £395 though, but really, they're cutting your eye open, may as well do it properly.
And free yearly checks for life afterward, that on its own is worth something.

i couldnt fault the treatment i have received. From walking in the door to a welcome like no other to consultation putting all my worries at ease!!! from going blind to not being able to see at all !!
i could not believe after my consultation to treatment the worst of it all was the pupil dilation at consultation!!! so if you can cope with that you can cope with anything bearing in mind i had the hangover from hell must have had something to do with it hahahaha but honesty easy once you relax and dont move i thought they were joking when they said weve finished i didnt even think they had started!!! and i am not actor or paid worker !!

Had to wait about an hour for the consultation - even someone who turned up nearly two hours late for their appointment was seen first!

It was a real conveyor-belt system with one person doing tests and another doing the consultation and back to the first for post-consultation stuff...of course you had to wait each time before being seen.

The whole process is an excuse for a two-hour hard sell, including statements that their machines are better than other leading clinics.

When I complained about the pricing (well over £3,000, not the £395 advertised) I was told that they couldn't discuss discounts because their phone system was down - I might have believed it if I hadn't seen one of the staff on the phone during the numerous waiting periods.

I asked for evidence of people getting surgery for £395 by emailing their customer services. They refused on the basis it was "proprietory information".

If you like hard sell/cattle market treatment then optical express is the one for you.

 I have always had problem eyes, extremely bad vision, corneal ulcers and sever dry eye. Optical Express were fantastic they recommended the best surgery for my difficult eyes. The surgeon was helpful and friendly and it went very quickly. My eyes were more painful than i imagined the next day but only for 48 hours. Optical Express were just brilliant I managed to get something in my eye within a week which irrated the surface, I was visiting my family quite a distance from the clinic i had the surgery but I could go to the nearest surgery and they had all my notes and files on hand and were able to help. Now, less than 3 months on I have 20:20 vision and I love it. Optical Express have been fantastic giving me drops as and when i need them and allowing me to see an optomotrist anywher in the UK when I as and when I needed, i have definately got my moneys worth already.