Optometrist Emma Enjoys Mountain Views After Laser Eye Surgery

People who have climbed a mountain will tell you there is nothing quite like it. From the challenging ascent and mountainside camping to the flora and fauna encountered on the way, this must truly be a magnificent journey. But arguably the experience that sticks with climbers the most is the sense of achievement and the views on reaching the summit – and those along the way.

The Scottish-American naturalist and preservationist, John Muir, famously put the experience into the following words: “doubly happy, however, is the man to whom lofty mountain tops are within reach.”

While the gender-specific language may be outdated, the sentiment behind Muir’s words are undoubtedly just as relevant today – as our own expert optometrist, Emma, would have vouched when she returned from her adventure to conquer Mount Ararat in Turkey.

On her return to London Vision Clinic back in 2011, Emma told us what made her want to climb a mountain:

“I just really enjoy the thrill of getting to the top of something”, she explained. “There is nothing quite like being at the top of a mountain – a huge achievement, together with a sense of humbleness. You feel very small and insignificant.”

You might recall Mount Ararat as the final landing point of Noah and his ark. But it’s unlikely that you’ve heard much more about this magnificent mountain that marks the landscape on the border between Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. But at 5,137 meters (16,854 feet), Mt Ararat almost rivals the more well-known Mt Kilamanjaro in height. So, why did Emma choose to tackle Ararat over this more tourist-liked peak?

“I think Ararat is much more beautiful and remote and exciting”, she said. Well, I suppose it is as simple as that!

Preparing for a Spectacular Journey

Emma and her husband Raph, also an enthusiast of outdoor pursuits, undeniably had the required experience under their belts before setting off on their way to Turkey. Both were super fit and had already completed the Three Peaks Challenge and climbed the glacial Mt athabaska in the Rockies.

As the strength and coordinating coach for the English Institute of Sport and working with several Olympic athletes, Raph was more than qualified to put together the pair’s training schedule for the climb. This included cardiovascular work (thankfully Emma is a keen runner), as well as specific gym exercises and hiking trails with weighted backpacks to practice on rugged terrain.

And all this preparation paid off on the mountain – though there were some surprises…

“I had imagined that the biggest challenge on the mountain would be altitude sickness”, said Emma, “but in fact, for me, it was thermo-regulation – maintaining a comfortable body temperature.

“It’s so exposed that one minute it might feel warm and the next it is literally freezing. The wind will come across and everything will change in a second.”

Despite being well-equipped and being sure to wear plenty of layers, Emma still struggled with the extreme temperatures on the climb…

“I wore two pairs of thermal long johns, two additional thermal undergarments, two fleeces, two pairs of thermal socks, a hat and my sleeping bag but I was still cold.

On top of that, the conditions at basecamp were basic to say the least. With no running water or toilets and just a canvas tent for protection, the experience was hardly luxurious. At night, the pair had to make do with rough boulders as a pillow… “You can’t sleep, but you don’t care because of all the adrenaline!”, Emma explained.

And that’s before even setting off on the ascent!

“One of the big lessons you learn about climbing is handling the basics of life – it is crucially important to keep warm and dry and to have enough food and water – you have got to carry everything with you.”

Enjoying the Rewards

It might sound like a tough experience, but Emma assured us that there were incredible perks along the way. However, many of the benefits relied on having good vision in order to enjoy the spectacular views that lay ahead of her.

“On the mountain, we both said to each other that we couldn’t imagine what the experience would have been like with glasses or contacts – the views on the way up were absolutely stunning – we couldn’t imagine not being able to enjoy them properly.”

It had been five years since Emma had her extreme short-sightedness corrected at London Vision Clinic. Raph is also a London Vision Clinic patient, and both are grateful they chose to have their treatments before setting out on their mountaineering adventure.

Having had these years to get used to it, Emma admits that, on a daily basis, she had begun to take her post-LASIK vision for granted; however, on the mountain, she was able to appreciate it all over again.

“The last climb started at 2 am– it was pitch dark, imagine fumbling round in a tent for contact lenses. Arguably you could use extended wear contact lenses and just leave them in, but they would get really uncomfortable after a while. There are also hygiene risks because you can’t wash your hands.

“Anyway, for me and the prescription I used to have, daily lenses wouldn’t have fixed the problem”, Emma added. “I would have struggled a lot – it would have been a massive disadvantage.”

Emma and Raph, together with their Kurdish guide and four other climbers spent four days on the mountain. They made the summit just as bad weather was drawing in.

Unfortunately, this meant there time at the summit was limited.

“How long you get to stay at the top depends on the weather and in this case there was driving snow and poor visibility – we literally had to begin the descent almost immediately or it would have been too dangerous.”

And the journey down the mountain wasn’t any less extreme than the trek up it. The bad weather meant that the freezing conditions remained, alongside bitter wind that was cold enough to cause eyelashes to freeze. Strands of Emma’s hair were even snapping off! But nothing could overshadow the intense joy and sense of achievement she felt at having reached the summit of the mountain.

The experience certainly hasn’t put Emma and Raph off tackling other mountains. At the time of their return to London, they were already discussing making the journey up Mont Blanc and, perhaps in the future, even taking on the more technically challenging Matterhorn in Switzerland!

Are you interested in finding out what you could expect from life after Laser Eye Surgery? Get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today to find out more!