ReLEx / LASIK in Bangkok

[guru]

Hello there,

Wanted to do LASIK but Dr Google says ReLEx is the modern and recommended way to go. 
 

Just been to Bumrungrad and TRSC for a quote: 
 

Bumrungrad 

Initial 3.5 hour exam:

1,500 baht 

ReLEx:

95,000 baht for both eyes 
5 free check ups afterwards 

LASIK same price

No post op touch up promotion. Nurse said If I was I. The 0.0blahblah1 per cent then would have to repay from scratch. 

 

TRSC

initial 3.5 hr exam 

2,000 baht 
Relex 

135,000 baht for both eyes

FemtoLASIK 120,000

Ultimate LASIK 85,000

If somethings not right then they charge 6k touch up per eye post op. 

 

Also phoned Ladprao Hospital

Only standard LASIK at 62900 for both eyes. 
 

TRSC said their doctors are the most experienced at 20+ years of doing LASIK but Bumrungrad said that for the modern Relex then they started at the same time so bumrungrad doctors are equally experienced at Relex.

 

The nurse at Bumrungrad recommended in the following order:

Dr Tharinee

Dr Chate 

Dr Krittiwat 
 

Mrs Gurus friend had both eyes done using regular LASIK at Ladprao hospital for 30k promotion during deepest darkest COVID lockdown but my phone call today indicates it’s now 62900 unless that’s the foreigner price. She was happy with Ladprao LASIK.
 

Looking for thoughts really:

Cash is tight so TRSC is a bit high too in price to be honest at 45k more than bumrungrad. 
 

Would Ladprao’s standard LASIK at 62900 be acceptable or would you go for Bumrungrad’s Relex at 95k?

 

If anyone’s done it at bumrungrad would your doctor recommendations  be the same as the above nurse’s recommendation? 
 

Thanks

[lopburi3]

I would check with Rutnin Eye Hospital as they are likely the most experienced group in Thailand (first used them in 1978) and likely a bit lower than Bumrungrad.  Have no knowledge of Latpaho Hospital eye center but have been using Vejthani for last decade and quoted price is often more than actual price as they allow for worst case (but have only had cataract removals) other than ongoing glaucoma care.

[Sheryl]

Rutnin is tops for eye diseases but would not be my first choice for refractive surgery

 

TRSC are by far the best in Thailand for refractive surgery. That's all they do, it is their specialty.

 

You might consider standard Lasik at TRSC (assuming after consultation they feel you are suitable for it). 

 

The advantages if Relex over Lasik havw been overstated. Looking at actual studies not connected to a facility which performs it or has orher vested interest the results are pretty much the same. A tiny minority of patients have dry eye after Lasik,  and that is even rarer with Relex,  is about it.

 

I had standard Lasik at TRSC 20 years ago and my vision remains great.

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

P.S. whichever procedure you do, consider monovision (undercorrecting one eye) to reduce likelihood of needing reading glasses. Worked great for me. But as some people don't adapt to it, give it a trail first with contact lenses or glasses of direct strengths such that one eye is undercorrected. Can discuss this with the doctor who will do the procedure.

[Lazy Sod]

On 6/13/2020 at 8:30 PM, Sheryl said:

Rutnin is tops for eye diseases but would not be my first choice for refractive surgery

 

TRSC are by far the best in Thailand for refractive surgery. That's all they do, it is their specialty.

 

You might consider standard Lasik at TRSC (assuming after consultation they feel you are suitable for it). 

 

The advantages if Relex over Lasik havw been overstated. Looking at actual studies not connected to a facility which performs it or has orher vested interest the results are pretty much the same. A tiny minority of patients have dry eye after Lasik,  and that is even rarer with Relex,  is about it.

 

I had standard Lasik at TRSC 20 years ago and my vision remains great.

 

 

 

I’m with Sheryl. 100% TSRC. Pay the extra, this is your vision for life and not about saving money. 

[richard_smith237]

At TRSC I had FemtoLASIK on both eyes about 10 years ago - I was driving the following day. I had slight ‘halo’ effect for about a month along with minor dry eyes for about a month. 

 

Note: The Lasik improves long vision. It can’t do anything for close distance vision, reading etc. 

[guru]

Thank you all for your valuable advice. 
I’ve just got home from my TRSC initial 3 hour eye assessment. Eyes still blurry and still very sensitive to the sun after the eye drops. 
Very professional as you’ve all said and so far impressed. 

I’m been told I’m suitable for all corrective procedures and he’s recommended the relex as less chance of dry eye, glare and halo starbursts. Mono vision has been ruled out as I’m a private pilot in my spare time and he didn’t recommend it for flying. 

Got to weigh everything up now. 
Currently my reading vision is perfect and I only wear glasses for driving or having to see or read something at distance, in a lecture theatre for example. My prescription is -2.00 dioptres in each eye. 

After relex, there’s a good chance I will need reading glasses he said. As I’m a teacher I read, use computers and mark work a lot. Am I just swapping one problem for another by endIng up having to wear reading glasses for longer periods of time rather than wearing long distance glasses for driving / lecture theatre etc which takes up proportionally less of my time?

So do I wait till my reading vision deteriorates with age and do the surgery when I need reading glasses anyway?

 

Saying that it, it would be nice to be able to use my own eyes for everyday long distance vision e.g. when I’m looking for a particular student out on the school football pitch or in the cafeteria rather than “borrowing” another teacher’s or student’s eyes when I’ve left my glasses in the car as I don’t like wearing them all the time.

 

I currently drive and fly at night with no glare or halos. Could I be introducing a significant problem which currently doesn’t exist? Doctor wasn’t worried about driving as much as night flying and said anti glare glasses may be a permanent requirement but said my pupils are small diameter - 4mm so low risk.
 

Turns out that if I decide to go ahead my TRSC surgeon, who has 20 years lasik and 10 years relex experience, also works at Bumrungrad. He said low chance of enhancement surgery being required so should I use him on his days at Bumrungrad and pay 95,000 baht rather than 135,000 baht for the relex and save myself 40k? Surely the equipment is the same and it’s the surgeon himself who is the most important?
 

Enhancement surgery, if required, is 6,000 baht an eye at TRSC with no time limit or number of repeat limits, depending on amount of cornea thickness left to play with. Apparently  my cornea is relatively thick so apparently a few enhancements possible in the unlikely event it all goes wrong. Bumrungrad don’t have this enhancement option so it would be another 95k to fork out if I was enhancing with him at Bumrungrad. In that case, I’m leaning towards using him via TRSC for the future enhancement insurance.  

Sorry for the waffle as I think aloud trying to weigh it all up. 

[izod10]

Was about to go to India for corrective eye surgery,but Covid put a stop to it.   The No blade/No touch method I liked the look of,laser maps the eye and then skims it,that is theory anyway    35 000 for both eyes ,but surgeon stated if I gave notice would do it for far less     Treatment Methods - SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions       This sounds something like

 

Power correcting surgery is what it is referred too also

Edited July 1, 2020 by izod10

[guru]

Interesting. Sounds like you’re going for the smart surface technique from that link you provided to India. Haven’t seen that technique advertised here in Thailand so doubt it’s done here.

Myself, I’ve been keeping my long distance glasses on all day, including using them for reading, as suggested by the doctor to get a feel for what it would be like for full correction and it’s been ok. I called my TRSC counsellor back to report in that I’ve found it alright. She cautioned me that he would be correcting my eyes to something better than my current prescription glasses which would make my new reading ability worse than my trial with my current spectacles. She also cautioned that as my natural reading eyesight deteriorates with age I would end up needing reading glasses to not only read but to look at my mobile phone or read the time on my wrist watch and again mentioned monovision. 
 

Now she wasn’t in on the day of my assessment where he told me monovision is not recommended for me as a private pilot and he wouldn’t recommend it at all for any pilot. She wants me to come back in for another chat with the doctor and to have a longer trial with lenses for my glasses simulating monovision. She told me prescribed and adjusted glasses could then be used for flying. I’m a little nervous about this, what with depth perception and the doctor’s original recommendation against it for any kind of pilot. 
 

She also wants me to have a separate trial with full correction lenses in my glasses at home. I did ask about this on the assessment day and her stand in counsellor said the doctor said there was no need and that my current glasses would suffice. I’m now a little nervous as I’m getting mixed messages which was not what I was expecting from TRSC. She actually wants me to trial with contact lenses for a better simulation as there’s a gap between eyes and spectacles but I’ve never worn any contact lenses and don’t want to start.

 

Anyway, this is all important so I’m going back in as my counsellor recommends another chat with the doctor, to meet her face to face for the first time and to have a longer trial go with these two different type of lenses for monovision and full correction lenses. 

The doctor is called Dr Pichit and from his CV posted on their website he seems well experienced and my original chat with him was ok. Both the counselors say he’s excellent and has done this Relex for 10 years, with an average of two operations per week at TRSC as he operates there twice a week and he’s done lasik for 20 years. Just a little nervous that monovision is back on the menu after he originally said no way. Does anyone have experience with him? 
 

I can’t go under the laser until I’m confident I’m getting the correct procedure done for my circumstances and that my quality of life will improve. Otherwise I might as well just carry on with glasses when required, as although I live in a blurry world without glasses it’s manageable at -2.00 dioptres in each eye. 

I’m hoping advice stabilises after my next visit so that I have all information to hand to focus on deciding whether to go ahead or not. 

 

One final thing, I’m not sure but thought I had read on here, from moderator Sherryl I think who had it done at TRSC, that monovision was done at different times - months? apart for each eye?  I asked the stand in counsellor twice and she said they would be done at the same time. I didn’t ask the doctor because he had taken it off the menu but will ask him on my next visit. Maybe different eye values - different procedures? I don’t know. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2020 by guru

[guru]

Forgot to add that I’m glad I called the original counsellor today as she’s doing well in highlighting the negatives to make sure I’m armed with all information and not brushing anything under the carpet. This is appreciated and what I read to expect from the professionalism at TRSC.  

[guru]

I also got to the bottom of Ladprao hospital’s pricing policy. It is 36,000 baht for the bladed lasik if you are Thai or a foreigner who is fluent in Thai and will understand technical conversations with doctors and nurses. If not, then 62900 baht for an English experience. (TRSC 80k for blade lasik)

 

I had already decided on TRSC (or my TRSC doctor on his Bumrungrad days) but out of interest Mrs Guru asked if she accompanied me and translated could I get the 36,000 baht. No was the answer and Mrs Guru joked that it was a hefty language fee. I guess it makes sense as she couldn’t be in for the final surgical procedure where it’s vital any instructions are understood with a laser aimed at your eye.

 

What I haven’t got to the bottom of yet is why some Thais say -1000 instead of what I guess they mean is -10.00 or -600 instead of -6.00D. I thought Mrs Guru’s friend had misinterpreted the prescription but I heard another Thai who had her eyes tested saying she was -400 when I guess it’s -4.00? 
 

I thought I was perhaps saying it wrong or there was a different scale but TRSC said I was -two and not -two hundred for -2.00 dioptres.

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

10 hours ago, guru said:

I also got to the bottom of Ladprao hospital’s pricing policy. It is 36,000 baht for the bladed lasik if you are Thai or a foreigner who is fluent in Thai and will understand technical conversations with doctors and nurses. If not, then 62900 baht for an English experience. (TRSC 80k for blade lasik)

 

I had already decided on TRSC (or my TRSC doctor on his Bumrungrad days) but out of interest Mrs Guru asked if she accompanied me and translated could I get the 36,000 baht. No was the answer and Mrs Guru joked that it was a hefty language fee. I guess it makes sense as she couldn’t be in for the final surgical procedure where it’s vital any instructions are understood with a laser aimed at your eye.

 

What I haven’t got to the bottom of yet is why some Thais say -1000 instead of what I guess they mean is -10.00 or -600 instead of -6.00D. I thought Mrs Guru’s friend had misinterpreted the prescription but I heard another Thai who had her eyes tested saying she was -400 when I guess it’s -4.00? 
 

I thought I was perhaps saying it wrong or there was a different scale but TRSC said I was -two and not -two hundred for -2.00 dioptres.

 

 

 

 

A  different type of measure

 

Vision can be measured in diopters or in feet e.g. 20/20 = at 20 feet you see the same as a normal person sees at 20 feet whereas 20/40 your vision at 20 feet is similiar to a normal person at 40 feet.

 

Diopters refer to the refractive power of corrective lenses required to reach normal vision

[guru]

On 7/5/2020 at 9:05 AM, Sheryl said:

 

A  different type of measure

 

Vision can be measured in diopters or in feet e.g. 20/20 = at 20 feet you see the same as a normal person sees at 20 feet whereas 20/40 your vision at 20 feet is similiar to a normal person at 40 feet.

 

Diopters refer to the refractive power of corrective lenses required to reach normal vision

 

Is it a straight conversion?

-5.00 D= 20/500 ? 

-10.00 D = 20/1000 ?

the reason I ask is that I saw the above numbers in the poster below  in bumrungrad lift and it has the above numbers but doesn’t mention 20/500 or 20/1000 (don’t worry if I decide on Relex it will be TRSC not Bumrungrad)

 

[Sheryl]

On 7/13/2020 at 3:35 PM, guru said:

 

Is it a straight conversion?

-5.00 D= 20/500 ? 

-10.00 D = 20/1000 ?

the reason I ask is that I saw the above numbers in the poster below  in bumrungrad lift and it has the above numbers but doesn’t mention 20/500 or 20/1000 (don’t worry if I decide on Relex it will be TRSC not Bumrungrad)

 

 

No, it is not a straight conversion. These are really different measures.

 

You can get a rough idea here https://goldeneyeoptometry.com/2018/03/12/20-20-vision/

[guru]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:06 AM, Sheryl said:

 

No, it is not a straight conversion. These are really different measures.

 

You can get a rough idea here https://goldeneyeoptometry.com/2018/03/12/20-20-vision/

Thank you Sheryl.

 

So from the Bumrungrad poster above stating that 1000 = -10.00 D 

and 500 = -5.00 D, the 500 and 1000 seem to be some unofficial Thai version where the diopter value is given a dimensionless corresponding number in the hundreds or in the case of -10.00 or greater value, a number in the thousands. This correlates with hundreds/thousand numbers that Mrs Gurus Thai friends described their short sightedness as.