Donegal at a glance
- People in County Donegal
- 167,084CSO Census 2022, up 5.0% since 2016
- Aged 20 to 39
- 35,68721% of the county (Ireland: 26%)
- Aged 45 to 64
- 44,01026%, the age reading glasses arrive (Ireland: 25%)
- Treatment done in
- Dublin3 hours 20 minutes from Letterkenny
- Nearest check-ups
- Dundalk2 hours 20 minutes by car
- Laser, per eye
- €800 to €2,600the same range as Dublin
Letterkenny is a long way from Dublin by road, about three hours 20 minutes, but Derry is about half an hour away, where there are eye clinics across the border.
Which treatment, at which age
About 35,687 people in County Donegal are aged 20 to 39, the age most people have laser treatment once their prescription has settled. Another 44,010 are 45 to 64, when the eye's own lens stiffens, reading glasses arrive and lens replacement or blended vision come into the conversation.
For an everyday short-sighted prescription, LASIK, LASEK or PRK and SMILE are the usual choices. For high prescriptions or thin corneas, an implantable lens. The prescription guide lays it out.
Getting to the clinic and back
Plan on about 6 visits: the assessment, the treatment day, a check the next day, one at about a week and later checks at three months and a year. If all of them were in Dublin, that would be about 39.8 hours in the car altogether from Letterkenny. Ask whether the next-day and later checks can be done in Dundalk.
You can't drive yourself home after treatment, so book a lift. After LASIK or SMILE most people are cleared to drive within a day or two; after LASEK or PRK it can be five to seven days, so the one-week check may need a lift too.
On a long drive, some people book a night near the clinic so the next-day check is a short trip.
Choosing a surgeon
Ask for the surgeon's name and check it on the Medical Council's register. By law a doctor can only practise independently as a specialist with specialist registration, and an eye surgeon should be on the Specialist Division of the register in ophthalmology.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists advises taking at least a week after the consultation with your surgeon before you decide, and checking that any deposit is refundable if you change your mind.
Treatments and guides
Questions from Donegal
Where is laser eye surgery done nearest Letterkenny?
From Letterkenny, the nearest town where the laser treatment is done is Dublin, about 3 hours 20 minutes by car; assessments and check-ups are also offered in Dundalk, about 2 hours 20 minutes away.
Is laser eye correction cheaper in Donegal than in Dublin?
No. Clinics around the country charge in the same range, €800 to €2,600 per eye for laser. The treatment and your prescription move the price, not the county.
Can the check-ups be closer to home?
Often, yes. Some clinics do assessments and check-ups at smaller clinics nearer you and only the treatment at the main centre. Ask before you book.
Who contacts me if I send the form from Donegal?
One Irish eye clinic, not five. They contact you to arrange an assessment. Nothing is booked until you say yes.