Britons look to the stars and opt for laser eye surgery in record numbers

Record numbers of Britons are following a trend set by celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Sir Richard Branson by throwing away their spectacles and having corrective eye surgery instead.

A new report this week will show the amount of money spent on laser eye surgery has doubled in the past year. The market is worth as much as £150m and an estimated 30,000 Britons had corrective eye surgery in the last year alone.

The report, from market analysts Mintel, indicates that the trend for eye surgery is growing rapidly, although it still lags behind France and Spain. The phenomenon may explain a marginal decrease in the number of adults wearing glasses – from 60.5 per cent of the total population in 1999 to 59.9 per cent in 2001 – and contact lenses, which have fallen a fraction to 5.8 per cent.

Laser eye surgery is dominated by a procedure called Lasik ("Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis"), which accounts for 98 per cent of the total market. In simple terms, Lasik alters the shape of the eye lens by removing microscopic layers of tissue from the cornea, changing the way that light is focused on to the retina and therefore affording the patient sharper vision.

It is a particularly effective treatment for myopia and astigmatism, and can cost from as little as £600 for each eye. It is offered at Boots for an all-inclusive fee of £2,500.

"The market has grown considerably," said Elvira Doghem-Rashid of Mintel. "There are currently five major suppliers in the country and indications are that there is substantial growth potential."

Consultant ophthamologist Chris Chew, 50, who regularly carries out the procedure on patients, was unsurprised by the findings.

"We're definitely seeing increasing numbers of people asking for Lasik now," he said. "Britons tended to be a bit cynical before, but we are now starting to embrace the procedure and it's really taking off. It's an affordable lifestyle choice. People are realising that for the price of a holiday, they could dispense with glasses for ever."

One enthusiastic convert is Richard Edwards, 37, from Hartlepool. An optometrist himself, he admits having been "sceptical" for many years. "I started researching the procedure and it really opened my mind," he said.

He had the operation two and a half years ago. "Before I had it I couldn't even see the top row of the eye chart but now my vision is better than 20:20. This has changed my life – I've honestly forgotten what it was like to be short-sighted."

As a teenager, Mr Edwards was a semi-professional goalkeeper and had trials at Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. If Lasik had been available 20 years ago, he believes he might have become a professional footballer.

Despite his enthusiasm, Mr Edwards did offer a word of caution: "If ever there was a market where you get what you pay for, this is it. Discount eye surgery should be viewed like a discount parachute."

Nor are everybody's experiences as positive as his – in rare cases, it has even proved harmful. Paul Burton, 39, from Cheshire, who had surgery in March 2000, is currently suing the clinic where he had the procedure. He claims the £2,000 operation actually caused his already limited vision to deteriorate dramatically.

"It was dreadfully alarming," said Mr Burton, a lawyer. "The first thing I could see when I woke up was a starburst – streams of light firing in from all directions. I also began to see haloes – ghost images around the edge of objects."

Mr Burton's condition did not improve, and after consulting an eye surgeon, he was told corrective surgery would cost a further £4,000 – with only a 50 per cent success rate.

"My eyesight is a lot worse now than when I went in, and this time it can't be cured by glasses," said Mr Burton, who is still suffering severe side-effects. Nor has he received any refund. "It's appalling that these clinics aren't being regulated properly."