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The Best Laser Eye Surgery Treatments, Clinics & Surgeons
Find The Best Laser Eye Surgery Treatment & Clinic For your Eye Condition
Given the sheer number of places to have laser eye surgery and the plethora of laser eye surgery reviews available online, the question of which is the best laser eye surgery company or surgeon can be daunting. Treatments, prices and aftercare vary significantly so hopefully this article will help you shortlist one or two that you’d like to research further.
Best Laser Eye Surgery Companies
Nationwide Clinics
121 Clinics
They have 121 clinics throughout the UK (45 in Scotland, 42 in Southern England, 30 in Northern England, 2 in Wales and 2 in Northern Ireland). Reviews of Optical Express tend to be good but there are some patients who have had a negative experience which they have shared on review sites and facebook. Negative reviews are expected given the tens of thousands of patients they treat each year so it is important to look at the ratio of positive to negative reviews and also try and ascertain which are genuine and impartial.
25 Surgeons
They have 25 experienced surgeons listed on their website.
Technology
They use VISX STAR S4 IR lasers which are highly rated by surgeons worldwide (For what its worth, the clinics that treated Tiger Woods and Cindy Crawford used a VISX laser).
They use a IntraLase iFS 150 femtosecond laser to create a protective flap at the beginning of every LASIK treatment they offer.
Patients also have the option of using iDesign for LASIK and LASEK Treatments. This captures over 1,200 micro readings of patient's prescription which is five times more than Wavefront technology. This allows them to correct refractive errors with a higher degree of accuracy than glasses or contact lenses as well as enabling them to treat more complex cases than was previously possible.
Aftercare
Their aftercare programme (included in the price) includes a visit to the surgeon or optometrist the day after your surgery to check your recovery is progressing without any issues. All patients are also invited to appointments 1 and 3 months from the date of their treatment. They also offer an out-of-hours medical helpline giving access to 24-hour clinical advice.
Prices
Laser Eye Surgery Prices Per Eye
- LASEK: £595*
- LASIK: £1,195
- LASIK or LASEK with iDesign: £1,495
Lens Replacement Surgery Per Eye
- Monofocal RLE: £1,995 *
- Multifocal RLE: £3,195
- Phatic IOL: £3,395
Cataract Surgery Per Eye
- Cataract Monofocal RLE: £1,995 *
- Cataract Multifocal RLE: £3,195
- Cataract Phatic IOL: £3,395
Other Surgery Prices
- Dry Eye: £395 per eye
- YAG laser treatment: £695 per eye
- Corneal cross-linking: £1,995
Treatments Offered / Areas of Expertise
Optical Express started in Edinburgh in 2001 as store selling contact lenses and grew through the purchase of various other brands. One year layer it started offering refractive eye surgery when it acquired The Health Clinic. Two years after that it purchased the ophthalmic treatment assets of Boots Group plc from nine sites in the UK. Since then it has expanded to over 120 branches across the UK and now offers:
- LASIK / LASEK surgery (with iDesign option)
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Phakic IOL
- Cataract Surgery
- YAG Laser Capsulotomy
- Corneal Cross-Linking
- Dry Eye Treatment
* Ultralase was purchased by Optimax’s founder and CEO Russell Ambrose in 2013. Although they continue to have different websites and the brands have not been merged, they share the same locations, surgeons, treatments and prices.
22 Clinics
They currently have 22 clinics in the UK (3 in London, 8 in the South outside London, 3 in the Midlands, 4 in the North, 2 in Scotland, 1 in Wales and 1 in Northern Ireland)
15 Surgeons
Their medical team includes 15 specialist ophthalmic surgeons and 60 ophthalmic opticians.
Technology
They use the IntraLase® laser to prepare the LASIK corneal flap by using a femtosecond laser. They have also introduced Schwind laser technology in a number of of their clinics.
Aftercare
For LASIK patients, aftercare appointments usually take place the day after surgery. A second follow up appointment is normally made after another week and then 6-8 weeks later. If all is well after this, no other appointments will be required.
For LASEK patients, an appointment will be made to remove any bandage contact lenses used 3-4 days after the surgery. The next aftercare appointment will be 7-10 days after the surgery and then 6-8 weeks later. If all is well after this check up, no other appointments will be required.
Optimax can arrange further aftercare appointment with a local Optician which will normally be charged at £15-£20 (payable to the Optician). The optician will forward your results to Optimax.
As well as the 2 follow up appointments outlined above, ICL patients would also be required to attend an Endothelial Cell Count test at regular intervals. This is to ensure that the lens hasn't moved and that no cell damage has occurred. You have the option of doing these tests with your local Ophthalmologist or at Optimax's London, Birmingham, Peterborough, Manchester, Newton Abbot or Glasgow clinics at a cost of £50.
All patients receive a Lifetime Aftercare Guarantee that entitles them to one free laser retreatment for distance only correction.
Prices
Laser Eye Surgery Prices Per Eye
- Wavefront LASEK: £1,795
- Wavefront IntraLase® LASIK: £1,795
Cataract / Lens Replacement Surgery Per Eye
- Monofocal Lens / Cataract Surgery: £2,495
- Multifocal Lens / Cataract Surgery: £3,245
9 Locations
They operate out of 7 hospitals and 2 clinics in England only (2 in London, 2 in the South, 1 in the Midlands and 4 in the North).
79 Surgeons
The have 79 surgeons working for them across all their locations (many also work for other clinics which is why they have so many across only 9 locations). All are NHS trained and Fellows of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO).
Technology
They use Femtosecond Lasers for LASIK surgery. The Ziemer LDV is available at the Surrey Yorkshire, Hampshire and North London hospitals. The IntraLase™ iFS™ is another advanced technology femtosecond laser used at their Manchester, Birmingham, London Hospitals.
They also have access to the Zeiss Visumax® laser in their London hospital which they use for all-laser LASIK as well as ReLEx® SMILE.
They also have the Wavelight Allegretto Excimer and Schwind Amaris® 500e Excimer Lasers available.
Aftercare
A follow up appointment will be made within a few days of your treatment.
Prices
Laser Eye Surgery Prices Per Eye
- LASIK / LASEK: £1,795 *
- ReLEx SMILE: £2,495
Cataract / Lens Replacement Surgery Per Eye
- Monofocal Lens Exchange: £2,999
- Lens Replacement: £3,495 *
- ICL treatment £3,795 *
- Monofocal Cataract Surgery: £1,995
- Multifocal Cataract Surgery: £3,495
Treatments Offered / Areas of Expertise
As well as laser eye surgery and lens replacement surgery they also offer other treatments for patients suffering from AMD, glaucoma or floaters. All their treatments are below:
- LASIK / LASEK
- ReLEx SMILE
- Clarivu / IOL / RLE
- Cataract Surgery
- Phakic ICL
- PRK
- Corneal Graft
- Selective Laser
- Trabeculoplasty
- Corneal Cross-Linking (CCL)
- Anti-VEGF Injections
- iStent
- Scleral Buckling
- Vitrectomy
- IMT
- IOL-VIP
- Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)
London / South East Only
Whilst Optical Express, Optimax and Optegra all have clinics in London, the following four clinics are based in London only and differentiate themselves with the quality of their surgeons and clinics. They are more expensive than the national clinics. The fifth clinic, Centre for Sight, has 2 other clinics outside of London in the South East but has been included in this list as it’s similar in type and quality.
Focus
Founded in 2002 by the chief surgeon David Allamby, Focus Clinic has continued to generate excellent reviews and says it has a 100% success rate for 20/20 vision. One particular selling point is the 10 year guarantee they offer (most clinics offer just twelve months). They have had plenty of celebs trust them with their laser eye surgery including Denise Van Outen, Mary Portas, David Gandy and Sue Barker.
- 1 Clinic
- London
- 2 Surgeons
- LASIK / LASEK / PRK
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
- Cataract Surgery
- Fixed Published Prices
- ReLEx SMILE
- 1 Clinic
- London
- 2 Surgeons
- LASIK / LASEK / PRK
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
- Cataract Surgery
- Fixed Published Prices
- ReLEx SMILE
Price for both eyes:
LASIK: £4,800 to £5,600
To treat those with short-sightedness, | long-sightedness and astigmatism. They used an Advanced LASIK procedure (A-LASIK) developed by chief surgeon David Allamby. The price will depends on the prescription.
LASIK Specialist: £6,000
For high prescriptions, referred enhancements or those who have had previous surgery elsewhere that was not 100% successful.
LASIK Blended: £5,400
This is normally used for patients for patients aged 45+ who normally use glasses for reading. The choice of procedure will depend on age, prescription and other factors.
Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE): £6,500 – £7,500
This is also used for patients for patients aged over 45 who use glasses for reading or have developing or established cataracts. The choice of procedure will depend on the patient’ age, prescription and other factors. The cheaper price is for monofocal lenses, the more expensive price is for premium bifocal or trifocal lenses.
Cataract Surgery: £6,500 – £7,500
For r those who have developing or established cataracts. The cheaper price is for monofocal lenses, the more expensive price is for premium bifocal or trifocal lenses.
Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL): £7,500
This is is an alternative for patients who are not candidates for laser eye surgery because of having a high or extreme prescription.
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Founded in 1805, Moorfields Eye Hospital is the oldest it is the oldest and largest centre for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in Europe together with its next door neighbour, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
It’s private Eye Hospital is well respected with consistently good reviews. They offer laser lens replacement surgery (ICL, RLE) as well as laser eye surgery (PRK, LASEK, and TransPRK) to paying customers or those claiming via insurance. Unfortunately, they do not publish prices on their website.
- 1 Clinic
- London
- 12 Surgeons
- LASIK / LASEK / PRK
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
- Cataract Surgery
- ReLEx SMILE
- Fixed Published Prices
Price for both eyes:
LASIK: No Published Price
They offer LASIK and surface laser treatments (PRK, LASEK, and TransPRK).Implantable Contact Lenses: No Published Price
This treatment is commonly used to treat high glasses prescriptions and astigmatism.Refractive lens exchange (RLE): No Published Price
RLE is suitable for people over 50 years of age and have a glasses prescription higher than the normal range for laser eye surgery.
London Vision Clinic
The London Vision Clinic is a highly respected clinic on Halrey Street founded and led by Professor Reinstein. Their prices are more expensive than most but they claim to have a 100% success rate and offer a more personal approach. 96% of their patients have ReLEx SMILE or LASIK surgery.
- 1 Clinic
- London
- 4 Surgeons
- LASIK / LASEK / PRK
- Cataract Surgery
- ReLEx SMILE
- Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Fixed Published Prices
Price for both eyes:
Standard: £5,200 both eyes
This is their standard treatment for LASIK, PRK/LASEK, ReLEx SMILE. This will be suitable to treat the prescription most patients.
High Profile: £6,500 both eyes
This more expensive price is charged to the minority of patients with a very high prescriptions as it requires extra screening and planning. The most suitable LASIK, PRK/LASEK or ReLEx SMILE will be selected.
Center for Sight
Center for Sight have been offering LASIK eye surgery since 1996 which is longer than any other UK clinic. They currently offer LASIK / IntraLASIK Laser Eye Surgery, Lens Replacement, Cataract surgery, Corneal Grafts, Stem Cell Transplants and Lens Implants including the ICL.
- 3 Clinics
- London, Oxshott, East Grinstead
- 6 Surgeons
- LASIK / LASEK / PRK
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
- Implantable Contact Lens (ICL)
- Cataract Surgery
- Keratoconus Surgery
- Yag Laser Capsulotomy
- Retinal Detachment Surgery
- Vitrectomy
- Dry Eye Treatments
- Fixed Published Prices
- ReLEx SMILE
Price for both eyes:
IntraLASIK: £4,900
The ‘Intra’ component denotes the use of the revolutionary Intralase iFS Femtosecond laser.
IntraLASIK Supracor: £5,350
Proprietary LASIK treatment for shortsighted, farsighted and astigmatism patients that uses a specific and highly sophisticated treatment profile.
Lens Replacement – Monofocal: £6,300 – £7,900
The more expensive price is for premium Toric lenses. They have astigmatism built in to the implant and used in those with astigmatism on their cornea above 1.25D.
Lens Replacement – Multifocal: £8,200 – £9,000
The more expensive price is for premium multifocal Toric lenses.
Founded in 2003 by refractive specialist Dr Pillai, Advanced Vision Care was based in Harley Street offers Laser Eye Surgery, Implantable Contact Lens Surgery, Cataracts Surgery and Keratoconus Surgery.
Unfortunately AVC ceased trading 8th Jan 2020 leaving a few unhappy customers who said they have not received their deposit back and now have no way of contacting them.
Who Are The Best Laser Eye Surgeons?
The UK has quite an impressive number of surgeons with great credentials and extensive experience in carrying out laser eye procedures. As long as you do your research you should be able to find a highly professional laser eye surgeon in good clinic which will provide you with the treatment and aftercare that you require.
Here are a sample of some of the best laser eye surgeons in the UK today:
Allon Barsam
MB BS MA FRCOphth
Mr Allon Barsam is an internationally recognised consultant laser eye surgeon. He is founding Partner and Director of Ophthalmic Consultants of London – a multi-location team of leasing eye vision correction and cataract surgeons.
Professor Dan Reinstein
MD MA(Cantab) FRCSC DABO FRCOphth FEBO
Professor Dan Reinstein is well-known not just as a pioneering surgeon but also as an academic. He heads the team of surgeons at London Vision Clinic.
Mr C T Pillai
MD DO, FRCS (Edin), FRCOpth (UK)
Mr C T Pillai Founder and Medical Director of Harley Street laser eye surgery clinic Advanced Vision Care. He has who has performed over 20,000 successful laser eye procedures to date.
Paul Rosen
BSc(Hons), MB ChB, FRCS, FRCOphth, MBA
Mr Paul Rosen first performed laser refractive eye surgery in 1991
Valerie Saw
MB BS (Hons I) FRANZCO FRCOphth PhD
Ms Valerie Saw specialises in laser refractive surgery, cataract and implant surgery, dry eye, contact lens problems and corneal transplantation. She joined Moorfields Eye Hospital as a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon in 2004.
Ali Mearza
MB BS FRCOphth
Ali Mearza runs his private practice in Harley Street (London) whilst also working as a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and Iin July 2016 he was appointed as the Clinical Director of ophthalmology of Ophthalmology Services at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in West London.
Ms Marcela Espinosa-Lagana
MD
Ms Marcela Espinosa-Lagana is an internationally recognised consultant laser eye surgeon. He is founding Partner and Director of Ophthalmic Consultants of London – a multi-location team of leasing eye vision correction and cataract surgeons.
David Garty
MD DSc(hon) FRCS FRCOphth DO FCOptom
Mr David Garty is is one of the world’s leading authorities on laser eye surgery and is the senior accredited NHS Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital (appointed in July 1995).
Mr David Allamby
FRCS (Ed), FRCOpth
Mr David Allamby is the founder and medical director of Focus in central London. He works as a full-time laser eye surgeon and was the first surgeon to perform laser blended vision surgery in the UK to treat presbyopia, a degenerative sight problem brought on by ageing.
What Are The Best Laser Eye Treatments?
The best laser eye treatment for you will depend on your eye condition and budget. Here is a quick overview the most popular treatments in the UK.
If you’d like more information on laser eye surgery treatment check out our comprehensive
What Is It? | Best for? | |
|---|---|---|
LASIKLaser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis | This is the most common type of laser treatment and is relatively painless. It involves creating a flap in the cornea, peeling it back to expose the stromal layer. The cornea is then reshaped with a laser beam and the flap is replaced afterwards. | This procedure is best for those with common sight problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. |
LASEKLaser-Assisted Epithelial Keratomileusis | In this procedure, the epithelium (the thin layer of cells that cover the cornea) is peeled back, exposing the Bowman’s layer. This is then reshaped with a laser beam and the epithelium is replaced. | This treatment is the most viable option for patients with thin corneas, and is a good alternative to LASIK surgery. |
Wavefront | Wavefront is a type of technology utilised in LASIK and LASEK procedures. Software creates a map of the patient’s eye to give an accurate picture of the aberrations to be corrected. The map is then used to control the laser so that it can reshapes the cornea exactly to the patient’s specific requirements. | This is best for those who can are eligible for standard LASIK and LASEK procedures but have the budget to pay the extra to get superior results. |
SMILESmall Incision Lenticule Extraction | This is a new, minimally-invasive laser eye treatment which offers a great alternative to LASEK and LASIK treatment. Rather than creating a flap in the cornea for the laser, this procedure involves making a small hole in the cornea using a state of the art laser that places a series of pulses in the centre of the cornea. | It is generally used for correcting higher degrees of myopia with or without astigmatism. More people are suitable for this treatment than for LASEK and LASIK treatment. |
PRKPhotorefractive Keratoctomy | This is the oldest type of laser eye treatment and involves the removal of the epithelium in order to access the cornea. The cornea is reshaped with laser and the patient will then have to wear a protective lens during the recovery period. | Best for those on a budget and who qualify. PRK is arely used these days, but is a good alternative to LASIK and LASEK for people with very thin corneas who would otherwise not be considered as candidates for laser eye treatment. |
Which Laser Eye Surgery Reviews Can You Trust?
It is also worth looking at the inspection reports published on the Quality Care Commission for the clinic you are interested in. They are totally independent and go into depth about their findings.
Do take care to consider factors that will have affected the previous patients’ reviews and don’t be put off straight away if you find a small number of negative reviews. The nationwide clinics like Optimax and Optical Express treat thousands of patients each year so it is natural they that they are going to have at least some unhappy customers. It is therefore important you look at the proportion of negative vs positive reviews.
Although websites like Trustpilot, Reviews.io and Doctify can be useful you need to be aware they can be managed somewhat by the company being reviewed. If the clinics are paid subscribers of the review site they have more control on which customers are asked for reviews and what reviews get published.
However, the reverse is also true, a company can also have overly negative feedback on a review site it does not manage as it is often the only disgruntled customers feel compelled to go online and leave feedback when not promoted to leave a review. That is why it is not uncommon to see a company have an average score of 4.7 on Trustpilot and just 1.8 on Reviews.io.
To form an overall impression we’d recommend you review multiple review companies including Google reviews where companies have less control over what is published. Also, you should take in account that some ex-patients give negative reviews because they experienced complications that may not have been avoidable no matter what clinic they used. Surgery results will depend not just on how good the surgeon is, but also on the patient’s sight problem and prescription, as well as the type of procedure used.
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