Reply: Ultralase Ruined My Eyes

I had Lasik eye surgery at Cardiff Ultralase in February 2010. Like Jan Fearnley, my surgeon was Dr Haralabos (Babis) Eleftheriadis.

Within 6 weeks of the surgery my eyesight had deteriorated and I had horrendous dry eye and headaches. I was given prescription glasses to drive and for everyday tasks. I was back and forth to the clinic every few weeks. After 8 months of this Dr Eleftheriadis disappeared and I had to see Dr Vinod Gupta. He examined my eyes and told me I wasn't drinking enough water ( I do) and that my eyes would clear if I went away and drank more!!??

I continued to attend the clinic and Dr Gupta disappeared too... I then saw Dr Sumith Perera who decided he would re-treat my right eye with Lasek in July 2011. But he over corrected it and I immediately had difficulty with close up reading. The Lasek treatment was horrendously painful and when I went the following week to have the lens removed, the Ultralase staff actually gasped when they saw the state of my eye.

Despite being told that that my corneas were very thick", and I was the "perfect candidate for laser eye surgery" I am still suffering 5 years later with vision worse than before the first surgery.

I now wear glasses to drive, watch TV... I have a different pair to read, sew, check my watch, etc. My dry eye is as bad as ever, while starbursts at night and daytime sunlight really hurt my eyes.

At an appointment last month I informed the optometrist that I paid £4000 for 5 years of pain and bother and his comment was "in fairness, your glasses prescription isn't as bad as it was before surgery"!!! I was gobsmacked at his flippancy! I was also told that Ultralase no longer exist as Optimax took them over so there is no-one to get your money back from. This is how Optimax and Ultralase care for their patients!

I am sorry I ever had laser eye and have sought help and advice from My Beautiful Eyes as no-one at Optimax cares about me.

My eyes were permanently damaged at Ultralase Guildford in 2005. The surgeon Haralabos (Babis) Eleftheriadis, negligently tore my cornea. I was left in a total nightmare as everyone at Ultralase, including (and especially) the surgeons repeatedly lied to me about the gravity of what they had done to me.

To share the parts of my story I feel able to, I made this website: www.lasereyenightmare.com

I now face the possibility of further surgery as my eyes have deteriorated, but because my injury is so rare, I have been told it could make matters even worse for me. As if I'd ever let a surgeon near me ever again.

Good luck to everyone on this site who has suffered at the hands of these greedy incompetents. I wish you all the best.

Beware! Optimax now own Ultralase