Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye surgery provider will open a clinic on Shop Street in Galway, at the same premises of sister company, the prestigious Therapie Clinic. The Galway Optilase clinic will be available from next Thursday, 17th November headed up by experienced Laser Optometrist Garry Kidson, FAOI.

Optilase was the first independent laser eye clinic in Ireland. The 100% Irish owned company is a major success story, opening 3 new clinics in the past year, optimistically bucking the recessional trend and investing in the economy. The opening of the Galway clinic will mean 4 new jobs for Galway.

Laser Optometrist Gary Kidson, FAOI commented:

“I am delighted to be taking Optilase to Galway and offering access to the best Laser Ophthalmic Surgeons and Laser Ophthalmologists in the country. We are more than happy to offer patients the opportunity of a free assessment for laser eye surgery. It’s an incredibly successful and surprisingly straight forward procedure that quite literally changes people’s lives”.

With prices from only €495 per eye, free consultations, a price match-guarantee as well as a life-time care guarantee, it is no surprise they enjoy a 99% referral rate. In addition, their experienced team of surgeons has carried out over 40,000 laser eye surgery procedures, and are leaders in their field, in Ireland, Europe and Worldwide.

Laser eye surgery was first introduced in the 1970s and is now one of the most advanced and commonly performed elective surgeries worldwide, having helped to improve the vision and lifestyles of over 30 million people worldwide.

To arrange a free consultation or for further information phone: 1890 301 302 or email info@optilase.com or visit: www.optilase.com.

Optilase Clinic has partnered with local business, Supersavers Opticians, at Grafton Court, Longford, giving the people of Longford and its surrounds access to laser eye surgery at Optilase Clinic’s flagship, state-of-art clinic in Dublin. The Longford Optilase clinic will be available from Tuesday, 15th November headed up by Optometrist Stephen Olwell, FAOI.

Optilase was the first independent laser eye clinic in Ireland and currently has state-of-the art clinics in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Belfast, Derry and now Longford. The company is a major success story, opening 3 new clinics in the past year, optimistically bucking the recessional trend and investing in the economy.

Stephen Olwell, of Supersavers Opticians commented:
“I am delighted to be able to offer my patients the opportunity of a free assessment for laser eye surgery. It’s an incredibly successful and surprisingly straight forward procedure that quite literally changes people’s lives. I have partnered with Ireland’s premier laser eye surgery experts, Optilase, which means access to the best Laser Ophthalmic Surgeons and Laser Ophthalmologists in the country”.

Optilase is Ireland’s largest provider of laser eye surgery and is a 100% Irish owned company. Their experienced team of surgeons has carried out over 40,000 laser eye surgery procedures, and are leaders in their field, in Ireland, Europe and Worldwide. With prices from only €495 per eye, free consultations, a price match-guarantee as well as a life-time care guarantee, it is no surprise they enjoy a 99% referral rate.

Supersavers Opticians has been providing eyecare in the Longford area since 2009 and under the management of Stephen Olwell has become a well-respected part of the local community. Stephen himself has many years of experience with laser eye surgery, previously working with Optilase Clinic in Dublin.

Laser eye surgery was first introduced in the 1970s and is now one of the most advanced and commonly performed elective surgeries worldwide, having helped to improve the vision of more than 30 million people worldwide. To arrange a free consultation or for further information phone: 1890 301 302 or email info@optilase.com or visit: www.optilase.com.

Health & Beauty
Posted on 25/08/2011
by Christine Allen

Having worn contact lenses and glasses for over 18 years, Munster rugby player, Doug Howlett, says laser eye surgery has changed his life. He tells Christine Allen what life was like before and after surgery at Optilase Clinic in Cork Doug Howlett began wearing spectacles at a young age as he suffered short sightedness. He says his emergence into the world of professional sport was always tainted because of his sight problems and his game was always tinged with anxiety about his contact lenses.

“It was really difficult at times, my contact lenses would be loose. I play a full contact sport, I could easily get a finger into the eye.”
He says he once played a game with only one contact lense in. “The other had fallen out and was lost. I played the game with one eye closed, in a bid to focus my other eye. It was terrible,” he explains.

He also needed glasses to drive and says his first moments in the morning involved wrestling with contact lenses.
“It became the norm – I’d wash my face and try put my contacts in.”

Like many people, Doug imagined the laser eye surgery as being a frightening experience and for around ten years, he considered the surgery.
He says, however, that the more he researched the modern treatment, the more he wanted to have the procedure.

“I never had the courage to go through with the surgery – I couldn’t stand the thought of anything prodding my eyes or going anywhere near them.
“But then I made contact with the team at Optilase. They were fantastic and explained each step of the procedure to me. The surgery has progressed since I first started looking into it all those years ago.”

The Munster rugby player and former All Black says he had one small window of opportunity to have the surgery.

“I decided to have the procedure in June this year, while we were off season,” he says.
After an initial consultation, Doug says his surgery was a simple walk-in, walkout appointment of under 15 minutes. He underwent the Lasik (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) on 21 June. He says his surgeon was fantastic and the process was simple.
“Laser eye surgery has been life changing for me. I woke up the next day to a whole new world and was back at light training the following week – I just wish I had done it sooner.”

With an outstanding 49 tries in 62 tests, Howlett is currently the 5th-highest try scorer in Rugby Union history and first on the all-time highest try scorers for the All Blacks. He has a reputation of being one of the fastest wings ever in the history of the game. Now he has 20:20 vision, to add to all that.
“I wasn’t allowed play any full contact sport for six weeks after the surgery, but I was allowed to train that week. I’m back playing now, though and I don’t know myself. When I wake in the morning, I can see my alarm clock. I can drive without wearing glasses and as for my sport, I have no issues there. Some have joked even that now, I have no excuses!”

Optilase offers a full range of advanced treatments and customised procedures including Lasik, Lasek and IntraLase laser eye surgery, as well as Premier and Advanced CustomVue WaveFront laser eye technology. They also offer a Lifetime Care Guarantee as standard with all of their treatments.
Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASIK) is the most common procedure and the treatment of choice for patients with higher prescriptions. Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASEK) is available for patients for whom IK is not an advisable procedure and uses the laser to reshape the cornea. Both use an advanced VISX Star S4 IR laser, the most precise laser technology in the world according to FDA clinical outcome result. With both the IK and EK treatments, you have the choice of either Premier or Advanced WaveFront Treatment.
The Optilase team includes Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons, Laser Optometrists, nurses and coordinators who are leaders in their fields, in Ireland, Europe and worldwide.

With free consultations, the price of laser eye surgery starts at only €495 per eye.
Phone Optilase at Unit 17B, Opera Lane on 1890-301302 for a free consultation or visit www.optilase.com. The clinic also offers a lifetime care guarantee addressing any patient concerns. The clinic is open seven days a week and late nights.

Monday, 4th July, Munster rugby star, Doug Howlett has today confirmed that he underwent laser eye surgery at Optilase Clinic in Cork last Tuesday week ago, the 21st June and will start back to training with better than 20:20 vision.

Doug told us:
“I can confirm that I had laser eye surgery just under two weeks ago at Optilase Clinic in Cork. I really can’t believe how this has changed my life – it was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. I woke up the next day to a whole new world and was back at light training the following week – I just wish I had done it sooner!

MD of Optilase Keith Wilkinson added:
“We were delighted Doug chose us for his surgery, he was a great patient! It was a text-book successful surgery, with Doug achieving perfect vision within a few days of surgery. We know he’s keen to get back on the pitch which he’ll soon be fully cleared to do. We look forward to watching him do what he does best and scoring tries for Munster!”

With an outstanding 49 tries in 62 tests, Howlett is currently the 5th-highest try scorer in Rugby Union history and first on the all-time highest try scorers for the All Blacks. Howlett has a formidable reputation of being one of the fastest wings ever in the history of the game… we wonder if he’ll be even faster with even better than 20:20 vision!

Doug came along to our super-successful event night last Thursday, to celebrate our 1st anniversary in Cork – for Optilase Clinic and Therapie Clinic… from goody bags and special offers to good food and wine as well as great people, it was a great night in Cork! Here’s to many more anniversaries to come!

Article published in The Cork News.

People who would previously have simply coped with their sight problems are now looking towards a long-term solution. That’s according to Laser Optometrist and Optilase Clinic Manager, Dan O’ Brien who highlights that with the spiralling cost of glasses and contact lenses, people are now seeking an alternative. For many, that solution is Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye clinic, which has been improving the vision of the people of Cork for the last year.
Located on Opera Lane, the state-of-the-art clinic is conveniently situated within easy access of all major transport links. Also, Optilase operates flexible opening hours including weekends and late evenings, allowing the clinic to build consultations, surgeries and after care around their patients’ busy schedule while the experienced team, comprising of consultant ophthalmic surgeons, laser optometrists, nurses and coordinators, are all leaders in their fields.
“It is a life changing experience for people, and having it done myself, I know what a difference it can make,” says Dan. “I play a lot of sports so it has made a huge impact in my life. I also suffer from dry eye so I could only have contact lenses in for five hours at a time. The procedure has meant a massive change to my life, and I’m not restricted by glasses anymore.”
Dan adds that wearing glasses can often mean going without designer sunglasses. “Often people can be limited in their choice, and can’t get wrap-around glasses or Ray-Bans. With the laser eye surgery it means that there are more options available without the expense of having sunglasses specially made.”
A full range of advanced, non invasive treatments are available at Optilase, including Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), which is the most common procedure while Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASEK) is available for patients for whom LASIK is not a suitable procedure. Both involve the use of an advanced VISX STAR S4 IR laser, the most precise laser technology in the world, according to its FDA clinical outcome result.
Between the two treatments, a majority of eye problems can be treated, including short and long sightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. In general, Dan says that candidates should be over 21 years of age, with healthy eyes and a relatively stable prescription. Recovery from LASIK treatment usually occurs within 24 hours, and patients should be able to see without glasses or contact lenses within a day while full recovery with LASEK is expected within five days.
Such is the confidence behind their treatment, that Optilase offers a Lifetime Care Guarantee as standard with all of their treatments, that in the unlikely event a patient’s eyesight should regress after their surgery, patients have access to all necessary aftercare and remedial treatment for free. And for complete peace of mind, the Optilase aftercare advice line is available for patients to call 24 hours a day.
Dan highlights that to achieve the best possible outcome from surgery, it is important that patients attend their aftercare appointments, usually scheduled one day, one week, one month, three months and six months after surgery and also adhere to the guidelines, such as drinking water and using the assigned drops.

Dan O’Brien, Clinic Manager
“It is a life changing experience for people, and having it done myself, I know what a difference it can make,” says Dan. “I play a lot of sports so it has made a huge impact in my life. I also suffer from dry eye so I could only have contact lenses in for five hours at a time. The procedure has meant a massive change to my life, and I’m not restricted by glasses anymore.”

Donal Buckley, 47, Mallow
“Using the laser eye surgery for monovision, I now have one eye for reading and one eye for distance. Having just one eye treated, means that I have 20/20 vision from that one alone while if I had the two, it would mean that I would still need readers, something that I hope now not to have for another few years! The monovision method works because the brain learns to adapt to which eye sees at which distance. I did a trial over Christmas where I had a contact lens in just one eye to see how I got on. It takes the mind a few months to adjust but I was able to adapt. I went in for my surgery in Optilase back in January and they offer a tremendous service. After going in at 11am, I was ringing my wife to collect me at 11.20am, with the treatment on the eye taking just 15 seconds. There is great attention to detail with Optilase and the follow-up is also fantastic, and includes several appointments. The difference it has made to my life is amazing. When I go golfing, I can wear ordinary sunglasses for the first time. Also something simple, like walking into a warm place from a cold environment and not having your glasses fog up is great. With their impeccable service, I would recommend Optilase to anyone.”

Stephen Ivers, Midleton
“I found that having to wear glasses was really affecting my confidence, so much, that I actually hated wearing them. I follow the GAA, and would often look like a secret agent coming into the grounds, hoping to disguise my glasses from the 55,000 other people there! Last August, my wife suggested getting the laser eye surgery and one month later I was one of the first at Optilase Cork to get it done. The service they provide is excellent. All the staff are very approachable and they truly make it sound as easy as it is. Everything that they said would happen did, from the appointments to the procedure itself. The whole treatment took just 30 seconds an eye and afterwards I was able to go for lunch with my wife. Half way through our meal, I was able to see the television screen clearly. I can’t believe the difference it has made in my life. The main drawback for a lot of people would be the cost involved, with my own treatment costing €2,500. This may seem like a lot of money but I was spending €200 between two pairs of glasses every two years… and that wouldn’t include the times that my three year-old daughter would decide to smash them! It is a life changing experience to know that you never have to wear glasses again.”

Graham Conway, 29, Mallow Golf Club.
“Being a professional golfer, when it gets to a stage that you can’t see the ball without contact lenses, then something needs to be done. Often when I had contacts in, the wind would dry out my eyes, and they could only be kept in for five hours. I was always thinking about getting laser eye surgery done, so last December, I just walked into Optilase off the street. And after having a consultation, I agreed to do it there and then. Both eyes were done in the same sitting, about a minute each, and it was a bit blurry for a few hours afterwards. I just went home, put pads over my eyes and woke up at 4am to see the results. It was incredible! I put the TV on and stood back and couldn’t believe the difference. Everything was so much clearer.
The whole procedure has completely changed my life. Now I don’t have to wear glasses in the rain, or contact lenses in windy weather. I have no issues anymore. Especially for sports people, it is something that I would highly recommend and it is definitely the best thing I have ever done.”

Pauline Bennett, 61, Ballyphehane
“You are never too old to go for laser eye surgery, and I hope that I am testament to that. My daughter, who has to wear glasses for driving, had the procedure done and was thrilled with the results and difference that it made in her life. With her encouragement and that of my two sisters, I decided to also get the procedure done. I am long-sighted and have worn glasses for the past 20 years. The glasses would often pinch the bridge of my nose, while the bi-focals I had for reading, were very heavy. Once a week, on a Saturday night out, I would wear contact lenses, which I often found difficult to take out at the end of the night. With annoyance from both the glasses and the contacts, the laser eye surgery was the best thing I have ever done. On the day of the procedure, as I was feeling a bit nervous, one of the staff said that she would go in with me and hold my hand. I went under the laser and then within seconds the machine was pulled away, and I was finished! The procedure took just 59 seconds on one eye and 54 seconds on the other. It took a day or two for my sight to become clear, and now I can’t believe the difference it makes. I can go out on my Saturday nights out, and I am able to see everyone. I don’t have to squint anymore! The after-care treatment I have received is second-to-none. They are fantastic inside Optilase and even send out a text reminder of your check-up the day before. Optilase only treat people up to 65, so I am delighted that I didn’t hold off on getting the procedure done. It is the type of surgery that would make such a huge difference in the life of anyone who has to wear to glasses.”

Mark Gaynor, 32, Limerick
“With my eyes, everything was so against me that I thought I could never get laser eye surgery. Firstly, I have a thin cornea so I needed to have the least common procedure, Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASEK). Also, before I was due to have the treatment, I had an accident at work, and ripped my cornea. This meant that I had to postpone the procedure, but amazingly, three months later, it was still able to go ahead. The whole thing has made such a massive difference in my life. I am shortsighted, and while a normal eyesight reading would be 0, I was -7. This meant that everything was always very blurry for me and I couldn’t see anything in front of me. However, when I went into Optilase for the procedure, the moment I got off the chair, everything was so much clearer. That is how soon you will notice the difference. Every morning afterwards things became progressively clearer until exactly one week after the procedure, and it all became crystal clear. It is now brilliant to be able to see without glasses, although I still find myself reaching for my glasses case unconsciously! The after care that Optilase provides is also fantastic and the staff look after you every step of the way, which really gives you piece of mind.”

Article published in Metro Herald, June 15th, 2011.

Laser Eye Surgery, Part II: Following a series of consultations detailed in last week’s Body Matters, Daragh Reddin finally makes the decision to cast off the glasses and goes under the, er, laser at Optilase

The weekend finally arrived and I was ready to entrust my (hopefully improved) vision to Optilase: Friday: The good news is that after my initial consultation and a rigorous examination at Optilase my eyes have been deemed healthy enough to undergo laser treatment; it’s consoling to know, however, that on the day prior to surgery I’ve been booked in for yet another appointment to thoroughly recheck the eyes and ensure, with absolute certainty, nothing is amiss. This also affords me an opportunity to meet my consultant ophthalmic surgeon Mr Wayne Crewe Brown (MB ChB MMed) who, in a career spanning more than 18 years, has performed some 22,000 procedures.

I’ve elected to have Lasik treatment, the most common form of laser eye surgery, which involves reshaping the cornea at the front of the eye by creating a tiny flap before then resculpting the cornea with a laser. With standard laser surgery this flap is formed with a surgical device known as a microkeratome, but I’ve opted for IntraLase, which, as Mr Crewe Brown – who was one of the first to adopt the procedure – explains, involves deploying a highly specialised laser rather than a blade; this proves less invasive and allows for more precise, individualised results.

Something I’m really excited about is the WaveFront technology which I’ll also be availing of. Generally, laser surgery involves correcting a patient’s prescription by consulting the results of a standard eye test; WaveFront, however, involves taking account of results from scans which generate an accurate map of how light passes through each eye – the results are 25 times more accurate than those obtained during a routine eye test and provide measurements of both the patient’s prescription and the natural imperfections unique to each eye. My fears are allayed knowing that surgery will involve a careful analysis of what is essentially the optical equivalent of a finger print.

Saturday: At 9am on Saturday morning, Optilase is already abuzz and there’s a convivial atmosphere in the waiting room as patients flick through the morning papers and sip coffee as they await surgery – it feels more like an upmarket salon than an eye clinic and if anyone is feeling fearful they’re certainly not showing it.

I’m accompanied downstairs to a small anteroom outside the operating theatre where a very friendly nurse – of which Optilase boasts no shortage – removes my glasses in order to disinfect my lids and the area around the eyes. I’m then given a not-altogether-flattering plastic cap for my head and two for my feet to ensure I don’t bring any unwelcome germs into the theatre with me. Now comes the fun part: I’m handed a 5mg tab of Valium – I stifle the urge to ask for a double dose – and I wait ten minutes for it to take effect before the big event. With my glasses removed I sit quietly, pretending to be able to see the large flatscreen TV that’s suspended only a few feet ahead of me; it’s great to know that this is the last time I’ll ever feel so vulnerable as a result of being parted from my specs.

When the time comes I’m led into the theatre where I’m welcomed by a team of chipper theatre staff – with my vision so poor I hazard a ‘hello’ in the direction I think the voices are coming from.

A nurse helps me on to a long leather bench which is then lowered, dentist chair style, before the surgery begins. The procedure lasts 20 minutes and it’s not in any way painful; merely odd and a tad disconcerting. It involves little input from me other than an ability to lie still and fix my stare straight ahead as the laser is directed first through my right eye, then my left (one eye remains covered while the other is being operated on).

Wayne keeps me abreast of progress at all times, which really puts me at ease, and though I’m thoroughly relieved when it’s over, it’s been no more traumatic than an intense dental check-up.

I’m escorted to a room outside where Wayne examines the eyes to ensure the operation has been a success (it has) and, already, I can feel the effects. Even though my sight is a long way from perfect, there is an improvement – as though I’m wearing contact lenses covered with a thin oily residue. A nurse then talks me through important after-care procedures, chief among them being plenty of rest (no TV or reading for 24 hours) and the regular administration of antibiotic and anti-redness drops. After making an appointment for the following morning, I don a pair of attention-seeking Jackie O-style visors and a friend directs me inside a taxi bound for home…

Article published in Metro Herald, June 8th, 2011.

Laser eye surgery: A short-sighted Daragh Reddin discusses his spec-wearing history upon his first visit to Optilase where he discovers he is eligible for laser eye surgery.

My tempestuous relationship with eye-wear began more than 20 years ago when I was a dopey, mildly-myopic nine year- old, who’d started to struggle more and more with making out the blackboard
(not just what was written on the blackboard but the board itself). A visit from the public health optician confirmed what I’d long suspected: I would need glasses and I would need them pronto. Now, in my wide-eyed innocence I wasn’t at all perturbed by the prospect – quite the opposite. I was absolutely certain, in fact, that my new spectacles would lend me a rakish charm and sophistication that would endear me to my class-mates in a way that would have been unimaginable were I not blessed with mole-like vision. Oh, the folly. Now I’m not sure whose idea it was – it certainly wasn’t mine – but for some reason I was encouraged to opt for (ie coerced into) choosing a pair of bargain-basement, salmon pink, horn-rimmed specs that made me look a little like the simple-minded love child of Eric Morecombe and Nana Mouskouri. Thanks mum.
Suffice it to say that the adulation and popularity I’d dreamed of did not follow. And, to make matters worse, as I progressed through primary school my eyesight regressed dramatically, so that by the time
I reached sixth-class my frames were now quivering under the weight of my jam-jar prescription. In fact, had I chosen to avenge my tormenters – ‘spec-head’ was the most frequent and galling term of abuse –
there would have been a certain degree of poetic justice in bludgeoning them to death with my glasses, which were now about as heavy as a good paper weight and just as deadly.
Thank God for the Pat-Kenny-like visors which I would graduate to in secondary school; naff as they were, they were nothing if not an improvement. And at least college was a less ignominious experience,
thanks mainly to my new, though no less fraught, relationship with contact lenses. Granted, fogged-up specs became a thing of the past, but now I had to contend with dry, irritable eyes and waking up
hungover – at least once a fortnight – with morning after- the-night-before contacts clinging to my eye balls like exceptionally tenacious barnacles.
Now that my prescription has – after so many years following a steady downward trajectory – finally stabilised (at minus eight in both eyes I’d be hard pressed to recognise my own reflection in the mirror
without glasses) I decided to take affirmative action and consider laser eye surgery.
Though I’m a tad nervous about whether or not I’ll be eligible, a preliminary consultation at Optilase, one of Ireland’s most reputable laser eye clinics, sees my fears abated. Firstly, Optilase’s handsome and light-filled headquarters on Dublin’s Ely Place feels in no way hospital-like, which is a relief for a wuss like me who goes weak-kneed at the slightest whiff of disinfectant. I’m also feeling very encouraged after flicking through the guest book in the lobby which is filled with testimonials from customers who aren’t merely satisfied with their results – but positively ecstatic.
I meet with affable optometrist Michael Rogers who spends more than an hour rigorously checking my eyes for eligibility with recourse to a series of cutting-edge equipment. At the top of the check-list are prescription (Rx) and its stability, the corneal thickness and curvature, the ocular health at the back of the eye, the intra ocular pressure (IOP) as well as general health and well-being. These results need to be within certain parameters and Optilase have no qualms about saying no to those they deem unsuitable for surgery, which is nothing if not consoling. First up, my prescription is checked through a full
standard sight test which ensures its stability, while a series of non-invasive scans check the thickness and curvature of the eye. Later, an anaesthetic drop and dilating drop are placed in my eye. The former numbs the eye and is used to check IOP and recheck corneal thickness, while the latter enlarges the pupils to study the health of the back of the eye. While this is entirely painless it will render you longsighted
for the remainder of the day so if your work involves reading or using a computer you may want to bunk off for the afternoon. The good news is that I’ve passed the test and Michael begins talking
me through the two types of surgery Optilase offers

Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye clinic, has recently opened in Derry and is conveniently located on the Carlisle Road in front of the Foyleside Shopping Centre. The clinic is opened 7 days per week, and late night Monday to Thursday, allowing our patients in the North to easily arrange their free consultations and aftercare appointments.

Mark Shortt, Clinic Manager of Optilase Derry, is delighted to be able to offer free consultations to people from all parts of the north of Ireland and to help them on their journey to say goodbye to their glasses and contact lenses: “Laser eye surgery with Optilase is the affordable and effective choice for people who are fed up with their eyewear. At Optilase Derry, we are happy to be able to offer the safest and most precise FDA approved laser technology to our patients, with a low price guarantee that includes a lifetime care guarantee as standard.”

Call us today on 08000 121 565 (N.I.) or 1890 301 302 (ROI) to arrange your free consultation!