both eyes treated for myopia and astigmatism
The staff were always extremely nice and the clinic is state of the art. However the treatment (both eyes, for a dioptre of -1.5) was portrayed as being very easy and not really a big deal - so my expectations were not well managed. So when I was operated on and it was very full-on, upsetting and traumatic, I couldn't believe I hadn't been better forewarned. If I had known, I would have made sure I had brought someone with me. I was so affected by the shock, the sedative and the operation that I couldn't leave the clinic for 6 hours. I was lucky that the staff were extremely nice, they put me in a dark room and brought me cups of tea while I slept and rested and waited for the sedative to wear off and for me to be able to open my eyes enough to walk around. However, this situation would not have occurred had I better understood what to expect. For example, at one point in operation they tell you 'everything will go dark'. Suddenly you go blind. It's only for a few seconds, however if you don't know it's coming, it's scary when it needn't be. During the tests and meetings with the clinic I asked a lot of questions and also asked to speak to a member of staff who had the operation two years earlier. They all reassured me and gave me the impression that it is extremely easy, didn't hurt and I could just 'take a cab home' by myself afterwards. They never even asked if I would bring someone with me or advised me to bring someone if I could. I would advise anyone having this surgery to have someone with them who can take them home because you are in pain, slight shock and cannot easily see or open your eyes. I feel they have become a bit cavalier about this procedure because they perform it so often.
