I'm 29, and had been wearing glasses since the age of 11. Occasionally I wore contact lenses.

I never enjoyed being dependent on these "visual aids" - they were a handicap when it came to sports and other activities, made me feel geeky and awkward at times, and generally held me back from fully enjoying life. Contact lenses in particular were annoying and time consuming to maintain, and would often become dry and uncomfortable after just a few hours' use.

I had been considering Lasik since 2002, but was deterred by the high cost. I also felt uncomfortable about the stories I'd heard regarding halos, starbursts, etc. especially for people with large pupils. At a consultation with Accuvision that year, I had my pupils measured and was told they were a whopping NINE millimetres when fully dilated.

As the years went by, I began to read more about Lasik, and learned about the improving technology and safety records. I also noticed that the costs were beginning to come down. In 2007, I started making a serious effort towards saving money, and by mid-2008 I was finally able to afford the procedure. Having read countless positive reviews about Accuvision on this site - and done lots of research about the equipment they now used - I went back to them for a consultation. This time, I felt a lot more comfortable about going ahead with the treatment. In particular, I had read about the Allegretto Eye-Q 400 Hz and its ability to treat large pupils.

On the day of surgery itself, I was nervous, but at the same time pretty confident about the choice I'd made.

The procedure itself was incredibly quick. After a short wait, I was led into the operating room, made to sit on the bed, then they cleaned and anaesthetised my eyes, which took about 5 minutes. Next, they used a microkeratome blade to cut a thin "flap" across my eye - this took a matter of seconds, and there was no pain whatsoever. At the moment of Lasik itself, I had to stare up at some lights for 10 seconds or so, as the laser came down and reshaped my cornea. Again, there was no pain whatsoever, and it happened so quickly that I barely had time to worry. I repeat: there was no pain whatsoever. The other eye was done immediately after that, in exactly the same way. The staff were friendly, professional and very reassuring throughout.

They did a couple of checks, which took about 2-3 minutes, then I was led out into the waiting area, where I sat resting for 30 minutes or so before they called me back, did some further checks, then let me go (I had to have somebody accompany me home - in this case, my Dad).

So, I was in the operating room for no more than about 15-20 minutes, and the total time spent at the clinic (including surgery) was a little over 1 hour.

During the first 24 hours, my vision was quite hazy and blurred - which had me worried at first - but this steadily improved over the following week. It continued to improve over the next 2 months, and got even better by the 3rd month.

Before the treatment, my prescription was -5 in both eyes, with moderate astigmatism. I now have better than 20-20 vision, which to be honest is better than I expected. Everything is so crystal clear, it's beautiful. My distance vision is quite simply stunning and I can pick out the finest details on buildings, people and objects. As another reviewer said on here, I find that trees in particular seem to have a new, richer texture that I couldn't appreciate before. On roads and in public areas, I can read the tiniest letters, signs and number plates with no trouble at all.

As for halos/starbursts - I do get these at night, but they're so incredibly minor it's really no problem at all. And yes folks, that's even with 9mm pupils.

In summary, having Lasik was the best money I ever spent. I feel more confident, more free, and able to lead a richer, more fulfilling lifestyle. No need to worry about losing my glasses anymore, no need to spend ages fumbling around and looking after my contact lenses, no more squinting and feeling like a geek. Crystal clear vision, all day, every day.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Accuvision. They are clearly a world class team, using state-of-the-art technology, with proven results and competitive pricing. Please check out their official website which has all the information you need.

In particular - if you're worried about large pupils then go with Accuvision.

A big thanks to Vikash, Chad and everyone else there who played a part in changing my life!