Why Isabella Chose London Vision Clinic to Correct Her High Prescription
When Laser Eye Surgery was first introduced over 30 years ago, it would be fair to say that the innovative treatment came with some limitations. Indeed, some limitations remain today, including prescription limits. However, as London Vision Clinic patient Isabella discovered, these limitations apply to some clinics more than others.
In this blog, we follow Isabella’s story, from her decision to undergo Laser Eye Surgery and why she chose London Vision Clinic, to the day of her treatment and her results.
Isabella’s High Glasses Prescription
Since the age of two, Isabella has had myopia (short-sightedness) with astigmatism, and with a high glasses prescription of -9.0 D, she has been reliant on glasses for as long as she can remember. As she remembers:
“[I’ve] always had glasses,. When I was a kid, I had the glasses that had to curl around my ears so they wouldn’t fall off my face.
“Then, as I got older and I was with older children who become more aware of themselves, I was bullied severely and I battled with my mum for a long time to get the contact lenses, but as far as she was concerned, they were too expensive, or ‘would I be responsible enough?’.
“So, when I was about 14 or 15, she finally got me the lenses and that then was an absolute God send.”
But Isabella’s satisfaction with contact lenses wasn’t to last, as she soon began to notice that these popular visual aids come with their own drawbacks.
“If you get grit in your contact lenses, sometimes I feel like I am actually getting dizzy and I lose my balance. So, I have to carry a glasses case, solutions, and sunglasses if it is sunny in London.
“Constantly, I would be cycling around, I would be swimming, and I would be doing all with my lenses in, which is not good for your eyes. If you’re cycling with contact lenses in, you get bits in your eyes and that makes them sore for one thing.
“I’ve nearly come off my bike as a result of it and then swimming with your contact lenses chlorine obviously isn’t the nicest thing. So, I would either be swimming blind or damaging my eyes.”
Eventually, Isabella’s reliance on glasses began to interfere with her work, as she found wearing glasses during a busy day as a teacher could be difficult.
“Now I work in a school and wearing my glasses at the school is difficult because I work in a primary school because young children … they can grab out and they can grab the glasses off your face. I am unable to see because my prescription is so bad at minus nine.”
At the time of her treatment back in 2011, Isabella had long been considering Laser Eye Surgery:
“I’ve wanted eye surgery ever since I first heard about it about ten years ago but then the technology hadn’t come on far enough. So, I’ve kind of followed it over the years and seen where it’s going and it’s far safer.”
But that didn’t necessarily mean that finding the right clinic was going to be a walk in the park…
Isabella’s Laser Eye Surgery Search
Like many people considering Laser Eye Surgery, Isabella’s search started on the internet:
“I looked through the internet, you know you get adverts now on TV and if you just type in laser surgery it’s all a sales trip. That was my general feeling, we can do one eye for £295! With a little star next to it and I know it’s just not going to happen, not with my prescription.
“You will phone them up expecting to get a price as well that and they turn around and say, no, no, no it’s going to be thousands more … because I’ve got such a bad prescription.”
Being quoted more than the advertised price by some Laser Eye Surgery providers is not uncommon. That’s because the “deals” on offer typically only apply to a small number of patients with simple prescriptions. That is, prescriptions that aren’t too high and are relatively easy to treat.
As our expert surgeon, Mr Glenn Carp, explains, Isabella’s prescription was far from straightforward.
“Isabella has a particularly unique prescription, because she has a very high prescription. She is quite short-sighted and she has a lot of astigmatism as well. She is the equivalent of someone who is around about minus nine, minus ten.”
Luckily, after conducting a comprehensive screening process, we found that Isabella would be suitable for treatment. This didn’t necessarily come as a surprise as, thanks to our access to the latest Laser Eye Surgery technology and experienced surgeons, we are able to treat around 97% of people!
“All the scans that they did before to check my eyes, I was put in front of all sorts of machines to check the axis of my eye, thickness of the cornea, telling me about my astigmatism, how my eyes react to light.
“I think I was sat in front of about six or seven machines. They told me far more about my eyes than even my optician has told me,” Isabella recalls.
The Day of Isabella’s Laser Eye Surgery
By the time the day of her Laser Eye Surgery treatment rolled around, Isabella was excited about the prospect of finally being able to ditch her glasses and contact lenses. However, the anticipation of going under the laser naturally also came with some nerves.
Going back to the day when I had the surgery everyone was wonderful. They were all very calming, they were all very helpful. The actual operation once you sort of lay down and you were underneath the machine, I was fine. Glenn was very good at talking me through, taking me through every step, step by step…
Even our very own surgeons are familiar with the pre-surgery nerves, as both Mr Glenn Carp and Professor Dan Reinstein have had their own Laser Eye Surgery here at London Vision Clininc. In fact, they performed each other’s treatments!
“[Mr Carp] told me what was going to happen next – always. What was going to move, what this noise was, what that noise was, where the lights were going to come from. So, there were no surprises, which helped me stay calm and not have a bad experience I guess is what he was trying to do and he definitely succeeded,” Isabella remembers.
Enjoying the Results
Like many people who go under the laser, Isabella was shocked to discover an immediate improvement in her vision. While her sight was hazy when she opened them for the first time, there was a definite improvement from just a few moments before.
“When I first was told that I could open my eyes I’m not sure I believed it, I was very bewildered. But I can see! I could see the clock. It was still a little bit hazy, but I could see the clock.
Isabella: Wow! Thank you!
Glenn Carp: It’s a pleasure.
Isabella: Oh my God! I don’t believe it still. Oh wow! Are you sure you haven’t put lenses in my eyes? … and the people around me I could see their faces. Genius absolute genius! Oh wow!
If you would like to experience your own ‘wow’ moment, why not get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators to discuss your options? Alternatively, Book a Consultation at our Harley Street clinic using the form below to find out if you, too, could be suitable for Laser Eye Surgery.
