REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE aka RLE/NLR +IOLs

Hi all
I’m new to this forum and my story and query maybe a bit long winded, for this I apologise. Hopefully you can get to the end and someone with experience can give me some advice.

I had Refractive Lens replacement in April and May 2014. Initially I was happy with the result and accepted the halos and loss of distance caused by the procedure, that they warn us about. However over the years my vision has steadily grown worse resulting me struggling in the dark, and a constant blur effect as though I am looking through what may described as a smoke effect, like a light fog around the subject I am looking at. I went to my own optician last year and they suggested that the lens were fogging and a simple laser treatment should clean the lens. However that didn’t work. I then contacted Optical Express and had a consultancy with one of their specialists, a Dr Alex George. He informed me at the time that Optical Express had used what may be classed as faulty lens in their procedure and offered me a free reverse operation but advised that due to the laser treatment it could result in losing my sight. He then gave me a large document to sign, effectively removing any liability from Optical Express for either the faulty lens or the potential permanent damage to my eyes if something should go wrong with the reversal procedure.
I have spoken with a couple of solicitors that I found online who have looked at this for other clients and basically they have said that if I go for the reversal I will most certainly revert back to wearing glasses as all clients of theirs suffered this. They also said that there is no class action against Optical Express at the moment and Optical Express are accepting zero liability. This would result in me personally taking action against Optical Express which will be expensive and very long winded.

I have been chasing Optical Express for about 6 months to try to speak with somebody regarding my concerns but to no avail until recently where I have again received an offer of the reverse procedure providing I sign a document completely absolving them of all responsibility and as a final settlement. I have to reply within 28 days and have the procedure by the end of January 2021 otherwise their offer is withdrawn. This doesn’t seem fair and is totally lacking in any empathy with the risk I am taking or the fairness of the situation.

So as I understand it,Optical Express have had my money and implanted faulty lenses. They are offering a reverse procedure in which I have am forced to sign a waiver removing any liability from themselves. I will then end up wearing glasses and probably poorer long distance sight, so I am worse off that when I started. They aren’t even offering me my money back for the first faulty procedures.

I am wondering, looking at the numbers of unhappy patients, is there any class action against Optical Express or can you advise of anything I might need to understand before I make a decision on my next move.

Can anyone advice if they have had “corrective surgery” due to faulty lens implants please.did it work, did you have further problems are you better off immediately before the surgery, are you better off than before you had the original surgery? I have been offered this at no risk to OE as I have to sign away their liability. I’m worried I could lose my sight if the second operation goes wrong.

Again sorry for the length of the post ?
——————————————————

admin: Pls check response to your email

Optical Express need to be STOPPED!!!
I had lens replacement surgery in February 2020 and I was made aware that there was a possible risk of slight night-time glare, halo's and starlights. I was NOT told that this would render me unable to drive at night-time and what definitely wasn't told to me was the fact that these starlights affect me DURING THE DAY!! Any reflection from the sun on objects or any kind of lights cause visual disturbance throughout the day. To me it feels like my lens is scratched and/or needs a clean however one of their 'top' surgeons told me the lens are 100% accurate and that it is my brain not adapting that's the problem! I'm so grateful to have found this site, Sasha and everyone on the MBEF Facebook group as I no longer feel alone and like a complete idiot for believing that everything would be ok. I'm so disappointed in myself for paying out £6500 to have my eyes ruined by these cowboys.
If you are reading this because you are considering having the lens replacement - PLEASE DON'T DO IT.
I often wondered why I was asked about my mental health at the initial appointment and that's because the problems I am having are really getting me down and it's a daily battle to think even a little bit positive.
I hope this post saves not just one but lots of people from suffering like I do.

Whenever I think I've heard it all, I discover that I can still be shocked by the behaviour of the refractive surgery industry, especially Optical Express, with 'the largest network of private clinics in the UK and Ireland’ - for now
www.opticalexpress.co.uk/about/treatment-clinics

Yesterday I was contacted by Ms L, persuaded by a greedy OE sales person, aka ‘refractive technician’, and an unethical optometrist (both paid commission for the sale) to undergo lens exchange two weeks ago - at the age of 44!!

'For many people, lens replacement (sometimes known as refractive lens exchange) is the most practical option to improve their vision. It’s most effective for patients who are AGED 45 OR OVER.’
www.opticalexpress.co.uk/lens-replacemen...active-lens-exchange

Contradicted on another page:
'Lens surgery, which can correct and overcome a distance prescription, aid intermediate or near vision across a range of tasks or treat a cataract, is often a better option than laser eye surgery for people OVER THE AGE OF 40. Our skilled and experienced clinicians are well placed to recommend the best procedure for you.’
www.opticalexpress.co.uk/magazine/articl...ng-laser-eye-surgery

Yet according to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists:
'If you are OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE and have a glasses prescription higher than the normal range for laser eye surgery, you are likely to be suitable for RLE.’
www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/201...eaflet-April2017.pdf

Bad enough that this woman was too young, with only a pre op -3.25 distance prescription and +1.25 close up, but what’s even worse is that Optical Express surgeon, Dr Aasheet Desai, inserted the WRONG lenses, with a prescription meant for someone else, which suggests a second patient was also fitted with the wrong lenses!

Not forgetting the General Medical Council (GMC) and General Optical Council (GOC), one for Care Quality Commission (CQC) to check out methinks, and - in my humble lay person’s opinion - a slam dunk medical negligence claim!

Meanwhile, Optical Express were desperate to get this woman back in for explants today and tomorrow - performed by Dr Aasheet Desai, who has apparently performed only 10 explants in his entire career!

Explant surgery is highly skilled, not as simple as swapping brake discs on a car, and certainly not to be trusted to a man who fitted the wrong lenses in the first place!

I texted David Moulsdale yesterday afternoon, and told him to make sure these ops were cancelled, that he shouldn't be allowing Dr Aasheet Desai to operate on anyone's eyes until this has been investigated.

I spoke with Ms L and her partner at length, who then spoke with an OE patient also damaged by lens exchange, better able to advise her than I am, and she finally decided to cancel herself…

However, when I called this morning to let her know that last night I spoke with two surgeons highly experienced in this field (each with way more than 10 successful explants under their belts!), both willing to perform the ops next week, Ms L did not answer, nor reply to my emails, suggesting that Optical Express persuaded her to ignore my advice.

And this is the OE consent form Ms L will have to sign if she goes ahead with these ops (the first in less than an hour as I write this) absolving OE from any responsibility hereon:

Hi i am having trouble with Optical Express now I had multi focal lens replacement in April 2019 all seemed well at first then in may I had a vitreous syneresis in my left eye it looked like a detached retina, that has not got any better and every time i move my left eye i get this large opaque film move across , also I to cant drive at night as the halos are so large and bright ( they told me they would go in a few weeks) they are worse if anything also now i have a ghosting on vertical things in my vision so im not happy at all I keep phoning them but cant get to speak to anyone medical I have emailed the clinical team but no reply i'm at my wits end.

These are quotes regarding cataract ops (procedurally same as RLE/NLR) from US ophthalmologist Tim Root's Ophthobook : 1 - "Who decides?
Ultimately, it’s your patient’s decision whether to have surgery. In an ideal world without operative complications everyone should have cataract surgery as soon as the vision drops to 20/25. Unfortunately, bad things can happen in surgery, and patients have to decide if they’re vision is affecting their life enough to take the risk of surgery. Our job is to educate and inform our patients about these risks and about their surgical options." It is absolutely scandalous that patients are aggressively sold RLE/NLR ops when removing and replacing the eye's own lens is risky enough for medically essential cataract ops, let alone purely refractive ones! : 2 - "Conclusion: Cataract surgery is not easy
Almost every ophthalmologist performs cataract surgery, so there is a tendency to view this as a simple procedure that only takes a few minutes. Some cataract cowboys are able to perform an extraction in ten minutes and may even downplay the risk." I wouldn't be surprised if there are cowboy surgeons who perform the WHOLE RLE/NLR procedure in less than 10 minutes! timroot.com/cataract/

I am new to this forum and can see that there is a lot to read. I had intraocular sense fitted by Optical Express in 2013. All has been fine until now when suddenly my right eye seems blurry when watching TV and I am getting headaches above that eye.

I went to a normal opticians and had an eyesight and she said both my eyes had changed prescription, she also mentioned that I have cells growing behind my lens due to it not being cleared of cells when I had my surgery. I contacted Optical Express about my eyesight and they told me I would have to pay £75 for an appointment, Is this correct and has anyone else had this happen?

Hi vma1977 I suffered retina detachment recently too all because of the lying and incompetent staff at Optical Express. They ignored all warnings about my eyes to get me to pay my money for surgeries. Anyone reading this please save your eyes don't go near them and get lured by their lying sales pitches by medical staff and optoms.

I am still struggling with the state of my eyesight because nothing can be done to stabilise it or reduce negative effects of their “state of the art” sh*t lens they put in .

They claim they are world leading eye experts but honestly don't have a clue when things go wrong, they don't care about checking for anything .They fool you into thinking the lenses will fix everything . and never tell you about any risks - nothing to do with training, they ignore it all deliberately then wave a consent form at you when things go wrong. Unscrupulous ruthless money grabbing bastards the lot of them who would sell their own mothers.

Scary so many poor victims suffering Retinal Detachments and other serious problems caused by these fraudsters.

Hi, I have just come across your website and would like to ask for some advice.

I had cataract surgery and lens replacement surgery in October 2019, having been told I was an ideal candidate ( usual sales patter I have since found out !)
One month after surgery I began to get notice floaters and flashes in my right eye, to which I notified Optical express immediately and travelled to see them 3 times in one week. On the last appointment (a Thursday) I still had the symptoms but was told there was nothing wrong and sent home.
Two days later I awoke to very limited vision in my right eye, having seen Optical Express so many times I felt that this was perhaps a normal occurrence and I did not contact them until the Monday when I was quite distressed that my vision was still severely impaired and upon seeing them on that day them I was told that I have a retinal detachment and should go directly to hospital.

I saw the surgeon at Ipswich Hospital on Tuesday the 12th of November and had surgery on the 15th.

I had an Off Macular Detachment and am now living with limited sight in one eye and the strains that this puts on my standard of living.

Optical Express feel that as I signed all the forms they are not liable!

I would be grateful for any advise you may have, and while I am not really looking to make money I feel that having paid over £7000 I deserve better treatment than this.

If the only thing to come out of this is that their staff get better training to look for potential retinal tears to help avoid further instances such as mine that will be a positive.
______________
admin: I have received your email and will call you

Hi to everyone just an update on my last post, I had both eyes cataract surgery done in May 2019 by Dr Dimitris Kazakos. Following day complained left eye was not clear, they just said takes time, and at all aftercare appointments I kept saying left eye no good, double vision, blurred etc, but they said just keep taking drops.
I got fed up of this and started complaining to Stephen Hannan by emails and was still waiting for a reply. then posted on here - and wow and behold, phone calls and an email saying sorry for the no reply from a manager. Nothing about why I'm complaining, my aftercare ceased when I started complaining and I've had none since Oct.
I then returned call from them asking me to schedule my in for corrective lasik in Glasgow on Jan 6 2020 as they don't do Inverness anymore (more cost to me by the way) and told David Teenan would call 31st Dec. He did call for 5 mins to which was said how was the contact lens we fitted to see if that made a difference, I said the first one I couldn't see a thing the second I could but still blurred and double vision, he then said we'll if that wasn't good pointless having surgery and postponed surgery on 6th Jan.
I pointed out that no one has looked at my dodgy eye which was fine before surgery since Oct, response was he’d get someone to call me and get me in for a look, don't know if he was getting his mum or a neighbour to call me, and will never know as I'm still waiting!
This has been the biggest mistake of my life letting Optical Express and their surgeon to touch my eyes because it’s only about the money!
If only I knew then what I've found out now, about the lawsuits, the damage they have done to thousands of people, the nepotism, corruption, all this available on the internet.
Let’s see what happens next.
Steve

Very interesting perspective of a man in the USA. Also read in the comments section a post by an experienced surgeon.