DRY EYES & MGD

Naz84 wrote: Sorry to keep harping on

Thank you for 'harping on' because after reading your post I am cancelling my surgery. I have really dry eyes and can't wear contacts but nobody at Optical Express told me at the consultation they could get worse if I have laser!

Thank you for sharing your story Naz. I hope you are able to get help for your dry eyes and enjoy your wedding!

Gosh!
Having read all the complaints everyone has made here I can honestly say, what on earth was I thinking?!
I was told by the Optometrist's assistant/refractive technician/salesman (Bobby Wilks) that once I had lasek my dry eyes would be a thing of the past, as he too had dry eyes and it had all changed once he had the procedure.
I honestly am at the end of my tether!
Like so many others I just wish I had known the risks before and not been told that this was merely something that happened in rare cases.
I'm having to consider delaying my wedding now because I don't know how I'll cope with wearing heavy makeup for three days of celebrations.
Work are getting tired of me having to come in late because I'm having to pry my eyes open every morning, and it's difficult working in a school and having to take so many breaks for eye drops :blink:

Why didn't the surgeon Mr. Faqir Qazi tell me this could happen? I would have stuck with my contact lenses because at least if my eyes were dry I could take them out and be comfortable with glasses.
I actually recommended 2 people for surgery and one is alright (so far), but my brother had surgery in September and has now started experiencing dry eyes!
My brother also told me his friend who had surgery 4 years ago is suffering dry eyes too!

So how can this be a rare problem as the Optical Express salesman told me?

The aftercare provided to those with problems is non existent as the optometrist just tells me to use plenty of drops but is then very stingy providing them.

I have an appointment tomorrow and I am certain it is with an optometrist again, not a surgeon, which I think is part of the problem.

Sorry to keep harping on, but i can't help but think this is going to be a never ending battle with dry eyes for the rest of my life

This photo was taken a few days after my surgery but I was told it's normal!



These are some of the drops OE have given me!

Hi there, I stumbled upon your website for the first time whilst I was searching for Optical Express's complaints procedures.
I had surgery in July this year and since then I have suffered with severe dry eyes.
Now I know that all the disclaimers will possibly cover the various issues that can crop up, but my biggest complaint is the fact that it's only now I have got to this stage of dry eyes that I have been taken seriously.
I cannot think of any better way to describe how I have been treated other than 'fobbed off'.
I only decided to take things further after the last optometrist I got to speak to openly admitted that I should have been dealt with differently a lot sooner.
This is now seriously affecting my life, to the point where I am struggling to get into work on time as when I open my eyes I am in physical pain. My vision deteriorates throughout the day and becomes blurred.
I am in serious discomfort and upset that none of the optometrists have taken my complaints seriously and simply handed me Blink eye drops.
I'm getting married in about 2 months, and I can honestly say laser eye surgery has done the opposite of making me happy about the big day, instead I'm dreading it and unsure I'll be able to handle much on the day

Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Nazish

Hi
I had Laser Eye Surgery at Optical Express five years ago. My story is so long that even I am bored with keep talking about how my life has changed from that day. The suffering I go through each day with constant dry eye as a result of this surgery is debilitating.
What I am interested in is that for years I have been saying that I was not informed of the real potential risks of Lasek eye surgery. The consultations are with optometrists who do not seem to be aware of risks and dismiss people who have problems as 'one in a million' .
Why is it I am still being told by Optical Express that I am that 'one in a million' when obviously with the 2012 Watchdog undercover programme exposing the sales lies, and the recent court case where Optical Express had to pay out a substantial amount of money to a woman, and this site, it is blatantly obvious that Optical Express are liars or they can't add up.
It is blatantly obvious each time I attend their Harley Street clinic and speak to people in the waiting area that problems from laser are ongoing. I also was made aware of the protest outside the clinic from more 'one in a million' people with problems.
My life has been so badly affected that I cannot live it normally day to day. How can we get compensation for this???? It will never be as good as having a normal life but they should be made to pay for their lies.

Caro,
How have you coped over the years? Has anything helped? Each morning I wake and ask myself how I'm going to get through the pain today! I feel that I have explored every avenue to no avail, I am trying very hard to stay strong but am desperate for some relief from this constant burning! Any advice greatly appreciated.
Debs
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admin: Debs, I have forwarded a message from Caro to you

Debs. I've suffered the same problem for over 7 years thanks to Optimax, and I am filled with rage when people like Julian Stevens describes our symptoms as "a source of considerable discomfort". MGD, dry eye and blepharitis are agony to live with as these surgeons must know! Today is a particularly bad day for me, as was yesterday, and I know it'll be bad for a few more.
Sadly you are not alone, too many of us know just what you have to put up with.

I decided to go ahead with LASIK in March 2013 after visiting Julian Stevens at Moorfields. My contact lenses were becoming increasingly more uncomfortable, I could tolerate them for only a couple of hours. His assessment was that I was a good candidate for LASIK despite having blepharitis, low tear film and MGD! He gave me no cause for concern and I trusted him to tell me if I was taking a risk. Having asked if my eyes were too dry for the procedure I was told that there were great eye drops on the market these days! End of discussion!

Since surgery, I have suffered severe dry eyes, which has greatly affected the quality of my life. Not only do my eyes now burn constantly making it difficult to read, use a computer, etc I have blurred vision, floaters and am back in glasses (my prescription increasing)! The pain at times is almost unbearable to live with and has turned my world upside down. I can only liken it to having dirty contact lenses all the time which you are constantly wishing you could take out and get rid of the burning sensation and blurred vision. I am at home looking after my three small children but if I had a job I would have lost it by now!

After many hours, witnessed by Sasha Rodoy, Mr Stevens finally agreed that he should have turned me away. I have been a difficult patient as I have not been prepared to sit back and quietly allow this to be brushed aside. He has now altered his consent form to include the following:
"Dry eye and blepharitis may occur or worsen...For those with dry eye or blepharitis the procedure can cause a worsening of the condition and may require additional management after surgery. Meibomian blockage blepharitis can cause intense itching or burning and be a source of considerable discomfort. IntraLASIK as with any eye surgery can worsen blepharitis and increase sensitivity so there can be red eyes and burning sensation. Though many people with dry eye and blepharitis have IntraLASIK surgery and can be managed through the healing period, it is possible to experience worsening of symptoms and this can be problematic."

"serious or frequently occurring risks..." was not included in my pre surgery consent form. If it had I am sure it would have set my alarm bells ringing. Knowing I had dry eyes and blepharitis why would I have gone ahead if I thought it could be made worse in any way?!

Why did not share this knowledge with me? He let me down and in my opinion Julian Stevens is guilty of negligence because he allowed a patient with dry eyes, MGD and blepharitis to proceed with an operation he knew could very likely result in severe dry eyes, burning and discomfort. No matter what risk he thought he was taking, it was not his to take! I did not give informed consent for this to happen. Unless surgeons are willing to risk losing a patient by being honest with them, and DISCUSS the risk (verbally, a written consent form is not good enough) this industry will continue to destroy people's lives. The onus should not be on the patient to ask the right questions, the surgeons should offer full information unprompted.

No matter how good the ophthalmic surgeon, none can guarantee the outcome, and it is not worth the risk. Mr Julian Stevens has not even been prepared to help me with the expense of eye drops, he advised me to purchase a PPC certificate and get all my eye drops and medication on NHS prescription from my doctor, which I have done - at what will be great expense to the NHS.

If you are visiting this site because you are considering eye surgery, especially if you have pre-existing dry eyes, please steer clear of laser eye surgery at all costs. I would not wish what I endure every day of my life on anyone. I wake up each morning wishing I could reverse the clock.

Unless you are exempt from payment, the current prescription charge is £8.05.

The good news is that a 12 month Prescription Prepayment Certificate* (PPC) can be purchased for £104 per year: www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcosts/pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx

That’s only £2 per week and covers ALL prescriptions provided by your GP or other appropriate practitioner.

Anyone who suffers with post op dry eyes (DES) or MGD will get through a staggering amount of and expensive drops/artificial tears etc…

Good news! Your GP will write a prescription for these - and any other product you need to treat your DES/MGD.

I tested this last night when my lovely GP willingly provided me with a monthly repeat prescription for 4 x boxes of ATs.

According to their ‘Lifetime Guarantee’ the clinic responsible for causing your DES/MGD should be providing these drops, but I am encouraging as many people as possible to hit their GPs for these prescriptions, collectively a significant cost to the NHS.

When I explained this to my GP, who is of course aware of my campaign, he asked if I wanted to bankrupt the NHS.

No, I want to worry them!

The government is fully aware of the increasing heavy burden on the NHS, who treat untold thousands of people damaged by high street refractive eye surgery clinics.

Sadly, everything is about money, and the government will be under pressure to take action when they finally admit that they are subsidising Optical Express by cleaning up their mess at NO COST TO OE!

* 3 months PPC: £29.10

Did I mention the £millions Optical Express owed HMRC in unpaid taxes? Every penny written off thanks to a legal scam condoned by the government!

Something is rotten in the state of [strike]Denmark[/strike] England!

People notice dry eyes a few weeks after surgery because the nerves have started to connect to the flap. From then on you can feel it more.

Now I have a daily routine/regime to try and alleviate my dry eyes... it has improved, but still no where near pre lasik!

I'm not having any more to do with OE (other than to get eye drops from them which, considering the amount of money I have to pay them, is the very least they can do to provide their so called 'post-surgery care').

From now on I'm seeking advice from private eye care professionals, who have more experience and are actually interested in the health of my eyes.

Dawn x