I decided to have corrective surgery this year as I was no longer able to wear contact lens, due to a new job and terrible air conditioning. My sight at that point was –2.00 in both eyes so fairly mild.

My initial research pushed me towards the LASIK procedure which seemed very quick and convenient. However, I then found this excellent site, and some others, which raised some doubts. The more I read about peoples’ experiences the more doubt I had. Eventually I discarded LASIK as an option and decided on LASEK which seemed to have the best of both worlds.

The next decision was where to have it done. As I figured eyesight was pretty important I decided to forget the issue of price completely and think only of who would do the best job. Along with this I wanted someone who had wide experience and knowledge and not just able to perform a procedure. After looking at all the options I had no doubt that David O’Brart at St Thomas’s would be the best person.

I had my first consultation and was more than pleased with my decision. David’s knowledge on all matters to do with eyes was very reassuring. He also seemed to have genuine enthusiasm for his chosen field as well which always inspires confidence, in me at least. Now if only I could find a Plumber like that….

My first eye was booked in for May 2002. I was not particularly nervous on the day of the procedure. It was fairly quick and there was no real discomfort. It was actually a very weird experience and although I wouldn’t say enjoyable, certainly interesting. It was completed late afternoon and by the time I was home the pain had set in. Not really that bad and in fact nowhere near previous experiences of waking up with a hangover and a, forgotten, lens still in. The following day I had one painkiller dose in the morning which turned out to be my last. The next few days before my return to the hospital were OK except for the discomfort of the bandage lens.

The hospital return went well and my eye had already improved. Over the next few weeks it improved dramatically to near what it is now. As I had a low’ish prescription I found that there was no real need for glasses/lens after the first week. It was now just a case of when I could fit the next one in which turned out to be August 2002.

A month before my second eye was due, I began to experience a few problems with it (this is my uncorrected eye!). I was waking up in the middle of the night with bad pain and lots of water streaming out of it. This happened a couple of times before I was due back at St Thomas’s. In view of this I was somewhat unsure of having the procedure done. Once again, choosing someone with in depth knowledge paid off as David recognised the condition I had immediately. Luckily for me, one of the cures for my ailment was based on laser surgery and hence the procedure would in fact solve both problems. A bargain!

The second eye procedure was a slightly different experience. It seemed like I could feel a lot more of what was going on and the procedure seemed to take a bit longer. There was still no pain though and I suspect that a certain amount of it was psychological as it didn’t feel like the anaesthetic drops were as strong . I did feel a bit sick and had to have an extended lay on the table. When I returned home that day the pain was worse but still controllable through the tablets. It did take about 8 doses over the next few days but at no time did I feel the need to use the aesthetic drops.

It has now been a couple of months since my second eye and I have just had a check up. Everything is great and I am now 0 in one and +0.25 in the other. Eyesight is excellent and the ghosting I experienced for a few weeks after each one has gone. I am not aware of any problems with night vision.

Having perfect eyesight after 17 years (I am now 37) is truly amazing. It’s certainly money well spent and if you are going to go for this I highly recommend David O’Brart at St Thomas’s.