Laser eye surgery is now one of the most performed elective procedures in the world. To date, over 20 million people worldwide have benefitted from the freedom that the procedure gives them. And what’s more, the majority say they wish they had done it sooner.
Many people begin their laser eye surgery journey by reading more about the procedure and the different providers – striving to get as much insight into the procedure as possible. There are a wide range of methods that you can utilise to find out more information, but there is nothing better than reading the views and opinions of people who have already had the treatment themselves.
There are a wide range of sites online where patients leave their experiences such as Trustpilot and Feefo. Most providers also provide reviews directly from their patients on their website.
We’ve put together some handy Do’s and Don’ts for you when looking at review websites:
DO: Consider the size of the provider
Some providers will complete thousands of procedures over the course of a week whilst others may not even perform that in a year. When reading reviews you should take this into consideration. For instance, if a larger provider has more negative reviews than a smaller provider then do not automatically assume that the larger provider has poor service levels. The larger provider may have more complaints but they will have performed a considerably larger number of procedures than the smaller provider.
The golden rule when reading a review is not just to rely on one review for the whole picture. There are so many factors involved in laser eye surgery such as the patients initial prescription and the type of treatment that the patient is suitable for. It’s vital to remember that everyone’s experience is unique and not everything will be absolutely perfect for everyone straight away. Read lots of reviews and take into account as many experiences as you possibly can.
DO: Look for responses from providers
On the few occasions where people do leave negative reviews, look at how the provider deals with these. A negative review in itself isn’t always the end of the story. Perhaps sometimes a patient hasn’t made anyone at the provider aware of their complaint and they haven’t had the chance to rectify the matter. If the provider completely ignores the review then this is not a great sign that they are interested in feedback from their patients.
Where providers do look at feedback and respond to negative reviews, this highlights that they care about their patients and their satisfaction. Where a provider is active on a review website, don’t be afraid to ask them about any questions that you may have.
DO: Look for authentic reviews
There is absolutely no company in the world that is able to give a wow experience to every single customer every single time. You can usually tell genuine reviews as these are much more personal and give an insight into why the patient has had laser eye surgery or what they have benefited most from it.
Most review sites are free to validate reviews and pick and choose which reviews to show. Reviews on clinics own websites are more likely to be genuine due to strict advertising standards regulations.
Recently, anti-laser campaigners have even gone out of their way to post negative and sometimes defamatory reviews in order to gain from the publicity financially.
DO: Ask questions
Where reviewers have left their feedback, there is often the facility to comment on that particular review. If you have any questions about a patient’s experience, don’t be afraid to leave a comment and ask the reviewer any questions that you have. Most will be delighted to see you interact with their review and will answer any questions that you have.
It is important that the source of a review is judged carefully as to not be caught up in the negative hype that can surround elective surgeries.
With any medical procedure it is important you research the procedure thoroughly before weighing up the benefits and cons of the procedure. While reviews are a great way of collecting information, it is important to remember that some people blow complications out of proportions while many wished, in the case of laser eye surgery, that they had done it done sooner.