REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE aka RLE/NLR +IOLs

I had my lenses replaced in 2018 at the Optical Express premises in Vincent Street Glasgow and since then my eyesight has gone downhill to the point I have to wear glasses again for everything, plus headaches, starbursts, sensitivity to light in my left eye and the right is now deteriorating.

I went for an in-depth test at SPECSAVERS and they were a bit vague about the cause. Are they anything to do with Optical Express, can I trust them?

I have emailed Optical Express telling them the problems and they say it will take 20 days to respond.

How do I get Optical Express to provide me with the medical records of what they did to my eyes during the surgery and if I choose to take the litigation route can you recommend the best no win no fee company to go with.
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admin: Please send your phone number to sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Having paid £6000+ OE now want to charge me again for the piggy back corrective lens! I could see better before the surgery. Complaints have fallen on deaf ears and T&C referrals. Solicitor claims not to be able to help. How do I start a claim?
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admin: Send email - with phone number, to sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Interesting how people like me with retina issues and high myopia etc should be treated with greater care and monitoring by actual retinal specialists not just be sold multifoculs and given conveyor belt surgery then out of sight out of mind😢.
www.healio.com/news/ophthalmology/202102...with-retinal-disease
Stick with the NHS. Don't risk your sight no matter what anyone at Optical Express tell you because they are only in it for the money.

I got lens replacements last August 2021 as a special treat to myself when I retired. It is the WORST decision of my life! I still need reading glasses but now have the added condition of haloes and star bursts at night. I have had multiple calls and appointments since the operation and been fobbed off at every turn. I am now in the throes of having the lenses removed and replaced with mono focal lenses. I am absolutely terrified at the prospect of this as this procedure is extremely risky and can cause even more problems with my sight. I wish I had never had the procedure carried out. I was told throughout that any problems would be “fixable”. This is clearly NOT the case.
I spent just under £7000 for this procedure and it appears my only options to have the lenses removed which would mean my sight would be back to as it was - ie still need reading glasses and there is no absolute guarantee that more damage could be caused to my sight. I have been in a battle with optical express staff from day one and they have eventually agreed that they would foot the cost of the lenses being replaced, but I have to travel to Manchester at my own expense hotels etc to have the replacement surgery carried out. I recently spoke with the surgeon who would be carrying out the replacement and I am terrified of the prospect that my vision could be damaged further. I am stuck as to what to do. Do i stick with haloes and still have to use reading glasses, or risk having lenses replaced with no guarantee that this won’t cause further problems???
In all their advertising, optical express say it’s the most risk free procedure and promote how happy people have been with the results. Having done some research, this is clearly NOT the case
I now have permanent headaches and my eyes are permanently tired
Staff at Newcastle branch,where I had procedure basically have washed their hands of me and have absolutely no after care. I advise anyone DO NOT GET LENS REPLACEMENT!
Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated. The stress this has caused to me and my family has been horrendous
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admin: Please send your phone number and I will call you
sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Too late for people who’ve already lost their healthy natural lenses to this corrupt industry, but for those considering refractive lens exchange (RLE) aka natural lens replacement (NLR), you should pay close attention to what Steve Schallhorn says in this short video - it's a real eye opener



The first 43 seconds have been taken from the online Ophthalmology Futures Forums 2021: 'Panel 8: Which IOL Would You Want In Your Eye If You Had Cataract Surgery Today?'*

Steve Schallhorn says: ‘The highest quality vision is probably paramount to me... and today that represents a monofocal IOL'!

The following 32 seconds of the video are from the Optical Express consent video, in which Stevie promotes Multifocal lenses!!**

This was shown to RLE/NLR customers from 2014, but no longer in use, as since the pandemic, in breach of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (unenforceable & ignored) guidelines, a quick phone call with an optom passes as informed consent - and that's if you're lucky!

Ophthalmology Futures Forums are not intended for us mere mortals, with discussions the industry definitely don't want to share with prospective victims, our eyes not considered to be as precious as theirs!

They promote MFs as the best thing ever, neglecting to mention the horrendous problems so many suffer with these lenses, including retinal detachment, and the numbers needing explants (mostly funded by the #NHS), replaced with Monofocal lenses so back to wearing glasses for reading... plus the added problems they didn't have before undergoing unnecessary, unregulated, risky #refractivesurgery!

Because of the convincing sales pitch employed by these companies, many people put less thought into having invasive eye surgery than they do a new haircut - that will eventually grow out, whereas refractive surgery is irreversible!

*'The Ophthalmology Futures Forums were established in 2012 to fill a void with regard to industry- investor meetings specific for ophthalmology in Europe and Asia. The Forums focus on all aspects of global innovation in ophthalmology by connecting scientists, physicians, regulators, corporate leaders, venture capitalists and other investors [all about the money!!] who support the advancement of eye care.'

Full video and more info here:
www.ophthalmology-futures.com/past-forums/
vimeo.com/62853319

**Stevie is no longer Chief Medical Director at Optical Express, but he is chairman of David Moulsdale's farcical IMAB panel: www.opticalexpress.co.uk/about/imab/steve-schallhorn

PS: Any law firms representing clients damaged by refractive lens exchange surgery at OE (or elsewhere) are welcome to contact me for a copy of the Steve Schallhorn consent video.

#blindedonthehighstreet #stormsasha

Hi guys

I had multi focal lens fitted on 11th March 2022 at optical express, Manchester by surgeon Asheet Desai and from what I can gather the lens where model ZKB00 with a diopter of +21 5D +2 75D ADD and are by Johnson and Johnson, don't know what any of the above means, my problem is I went to my consultation as I wanted my near vision back as had problem reading phone, menu's etc, there was no mention of what I'd have to put up with at present as I'd say I have more cons than I do pros, as it stands at moment my distance is still OK and my near vision is there but I've lost my mid range which is blurry and I can't see correctly, I keep getting told that my near vision is too powerful and it will move out and correct the mid range but nothing happening, I work with computers and I can't even see it at the range I use to have it and it's sat nearly on top of me so I can see, the halo and starbursts are horrendous and struggle to drive at night and even the little light give off a big glow, wish I could take it all back and rewind and kept glasses.

I know mine doesn't seem as bad as others but when you know things aren't right and you get frustrated it doesn't help and now not sure if it will change or get better, last time I kicked of they said they may have to put stronger lens or laser to rectify it but don't want anything doing in case it gets worse.

Any advice please?
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admin: For advice and information please email sasha@opticalexressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hello

After reading you post I feel for you I really do.
Also never knew this site existed and have just joined.

I wonder how many of Optical Express patients have problems and are scared?

I had mplus multifocal lenses implanted in my eye end of 2012 at Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester (Optical Express).
The right eye has never been as good as the left eye, I kept saying when I had checked ups about this.
As I complained a lot they did jag lazer about a year later and then still complained and think in 2017 they did another jag lazer on both eyes. Each time they lazered both eyes with the jag lazer.

Then thought ok have to live with it, the right eye worse than the left.

Then in Dec 2019 had a routine eye test at a leading opticians and they said felt there was something not right with my right lens. I got an app with Optical Express and they said that they knew there was a problem with my right lens, they knew this by the batch number, that it was faulty. This was in March 2020.

Everything was starting to close down due to the first round of Covid.

Then things started to open back up again and Optical Express I found out were seeing patients again, I tried to get a surgical app but they were poor on getting back to me, even though I contacted Customer Services by email and phone a lot of the time. Then they did offer an app to see a surgeon to get a look at my eyes, but I could not get to that app due to where I was living and could not travel that far with Covid still about.

I did have an app with an Optical Express surgeon about three weeks ago but they have not contacted me since. They offered me a mono lens replacement. As they said it would be difficult to fit a multi focal again plus the fact that I get starburst, halos and dim vision in poor light, which is from the multi focals and they said if I had a mono then it would be less chance of these effects.

As Optical Express were not getting back and offering an app I got my doctor to refer me to the Eye Hospital and saw an NHS eye surgeon in Dec 2021. I had the operation on 8th a few days ago, replaced my faulty lens under GA for a mono lens. The surgeon said it was a tricky and challenging op, that the lens was really embeded in my eye, that they could not sit the replacement mono lens in the same position they have had to create a frame, he worded it as to sit the new lens in. I think I was lucky that I had an NHS surgeon and that I was not not blinded by the op. Wow scary.

I have my check up with the NHS sugeon on the 16th. I am going to ask what about my left eye, what if that has to replaced as its scary, as it sounded that the op was more difficult than they thought on my right eye.

Optical Express said my left eye had faulty bits on the edges of the lens but not in the middle, does this mean that it will go the same way as my right eye, scared about it, as the lenses have been in a long time since 2012 and well embeded in my eye.

Has anyone successfully managed to get a no win no fee lawyer to fight Optical Express, although the paperwork you sign really gets them out of everything I think?
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admin: Many hundreds of people currently in litigation, and hundreds of others already successfully settled out of court, - the paperwork is not bulletproof, and patients not fully informed!
From what you have written I suspect that you were fitted with the Oculentis faulty lens.
For advice and more information please send your phone number to: sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

I had lens replacement surgery in 2012. In 2020 my vision started getting blurry. I went back to O E and was told the reason for this was because the lenses they used were faulty. They offered to replace both lenses free of charge. I have had one eye done but I am now experiencing more problems. I went for a eye test at my local opticians and they have fast tracked me to hospital as I have a build up behind the lens they replaced. I am worried sick.
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admin: For advice, please send your phone number to sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi everyone.
Back in 2004 I had laser surgery to correct my vision, but after time passed my close vision started to deteriorate.
So in June 2021 I had multi focal lens replacement. The morning after surgery my close vision was excellent but I had dreadful long vision. I was told that this could improve after the healing process, but this was not the case.
On one visit my optician told me that one of the lenses was not positioned correctly. They said I had a toric eye and sometimes this could happen and it can be corrected with laser surgery. Recently I tried a contact lens to show.me how I would see after corrective surgery. Which was a shock my distance vision was good but at the cost of my close vision which is why I had the surgery in the first place.
The surgeon told me prior to the operation that this can happen with toric lenses but reassured me any refraction could be dealt with by laser surgery, but neglected to mention that it would impact my close vision. If I was informed properly in my consultation I would not of had the surgery.
Optical express are pushing me to have laser surgery to correct my vision but I have told them I am not happy with my vision now or with the vision I will have after surgery.
Should I be pushing for lens realignment of a lens replacement.
Any thoughts on this problem would be of great help.
Thank you.
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admin: Please send your phone number to sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk

Hi, In Jan 2012 I had replacement Intraocular lens surgery in both eyes, provided by Optical Express. A year or so later, following increasing problems with multiple ghosting and night-time glare etc they carried out "corrective" Laser work, which did not stop the glare but at least cleared most of the ghosting.
For the last three years the sight in my left eye has been deteriorating with my vision becoming increasingly cloudy. It took nearly two years but I finally had a consultation with an NHS Ophthalmology Consultant. The lens in my eye is detreating, requiring further surgery to replace it a second time. However, he also told me that the lenses provided by OE at that time were prone to this problem and that this was a very risky procedure. He indicated that although he had not done the procedure for several years, he might be willing to operate but it would be a long time until I came to the top of his list. However, he suggested that I should contact OE with a view to getting them to fix the problem. He believed that because of their “greater experience” there would be a better chance of success and that I could get it done far sooner.
I contacted OE they gave me a provisional Optician’s appointment with my nearest OE shop and promised to get back “within minutes” to confirm it!!! Surprise nothing happened, They keep fobbing me off.
Having accessed this website and read about the on-going problems with OE I’m very unsure of my way forward. Can you please advise a course of action?
Regards
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admin: Please send your phone number to sasha@opticalexpressruinedmylife.co.uk