I thought I would leave it a while before giving feedback - I am surprised to find that my 1 year post-op appointment is next week!. How time slips by.

I had been monitoring Laser correction for years. I wore glasses, then GP contacts from the age of 7 and hated it. However, I was extremely short-sighted at -10.75 and -10.5 with astigmatism of about 1.5 per eye, consequently I was outside the safely treatable range until recently.

With the technology advances made in recent years I decided to book some consultations and entered dialogue with some leading surgeons by email. I decided on Advance Vision Care for a couple of reasons:

- The initial consultation was the most thorough, it felt 'medical' rather than 'sales'
- I was introduced to the surgeon, Mr. Pillai. Nice man, clearly very bright, but also very delicate hands...felt good for micro surgery
- Despite having the opportunity to take my money straight away Mr. Pillai told me to wait a couple of months as he was aware of planned algorithm changes to the software that should give me a more secure outcome. I liked that approach.
- The zyoptix system had the best results for high myopia under the independent FDA tests.
-I would not entrust my eyes to a high street conveyor belt process. I wanted a surgeon with lots of experience and credentials.

There are plenty of descriptions available about the procedure so I will not bore, except to say that it was quick, efficient, not as uncomfortable as a trip to the dentist, BUT in an anxiety league all of its own - eyes are precious!

The outcome: long-term - fantastic. I see better than 20:20 on the charts with both eyes. But more importantly how does this translate into real life vision which is different from the laboratory. Hopefully the following gives a realistic view that will be helpful:

Mr Pillai warned me that with my extreme myopia not to expect 'miracle' vision the next day. It took almost a week before my vision begun to feel settled, though after 3 days I was able to go to the cinema and marvel at seeing without glasses.

I suffered a little from 'starbursts' and 'double vision' at night. This settled very quickly though. Now I barely notice it - and my night vision is more than good enough.

Like most people I had dry-eyes, but nothing Viscotears drops 4 times a day could not cope with. I begun to forget to take the drops after a couple of months. I do not need them at all now, except if I get dehydrated through too much vino!

My main impact is that I now get floaters in one eye (a sort of shadow that you notice when you move your eye, due to viscosity changes in the 'jelly' that fills the eye). These are common in people of my age, but I did not notice them before. I suspect, but cannot prove, that the suction thingy used in the procedure accelerated the onset. However, whilst they are noticeable they do not affect either my pleasure at being able to see unaided, or the visual accuity I get.

Real vision is not like charts. I believe I got slightly better correction with GP contact lenses, but not with glasses. However, lenses often got dirty and with age were becoming more uncomfortable (despite having worn them for 25 years). My vision now is very good for everyday use. No smudging or 'tunnel vision'. No bits of grit under lenses. I wake up in the morning and can clearly read the time on the small digital clock on the other side of my bedroom, about 8 feet away. To put that into context, before the operation I literally could not focus more than about 6 to 8 inches in front of my nose.

Clear vision has quickly become the norm for me such that I do not think about it much - but every now and then I am awestruck by how much better life is as a result.

So overall - I am delighted and still view it (pun deliberate) as the best money I have spent. Please note though I am fortunate, I minimised risk by ensuring that I had a skilled surgeon using the best equipment for my particular myopia, but I also had the little bit of luck with healing profiles etc. necessary for a great outcome. I never advise anyone to have the procedure as you need to assess the risks for yourself. However, if having done your research you want to proceed further I would recommend you include the AVC team and Mr Pillai as one of the centres you visit for a consultation. I found them excellent.