The Way You See The World

It would have been churlish to refuse and there was another reason why I agreed once again to confront my fear of public speaking: I am constantly surprised by the amount of misinformation that still surrounds the whole subject of Laser Eye Surgery.

So that’s why I found myself  on stage at the prestigious Kempinski Hotel in Estepona explaining to some 150 smart and well-dressed women the ins and outs of my Laser Eye Surgery experience.

My props included a short (1min 49 sec) video narrated by Glenn Carp (who now has his own South African fan club on the Costa del Sol), a power point slide show, some London Vision Clinic brochures and my notes – which, despite being in 11 point type (instead of my pre surgery preferred 16 point bold, I could read perfectly…. if I had wanted to.

Once on the podium I didn’t refer to my notes once, speaking instead directly to my audience about the joy of life without glasses with a sincerity and humour that would have made Barack Obama proud. In my introduction I made it clear that I had no medical qualifications or training in any aspect of ophthalmology – instead I was speaking as a journalist and a very satisfied eye surgery patient.

Afterwards the questions came thick and fast and – with the exception of one relating to glaucoma – I could answer all from my lay person’s perspective. It was surprising to discover how many people are still unaware that presbyopia (or ageing eyes) can be so successful corrected by the London Vision Clinic’s Blended Vision technique.

Bearing in mind that I was sandwiched between two cosmetic surgeons, I thought my conclusion was inspirational.

I told the audience that I was in no way opposed to cosmetic surgery – “On the contrary, I find it amazing and uplifting (literally) the improvements that can be made surgically to our faces and bodies”.

“However”, I went on, “It can be argued that these procedures are for other people – they affect the way the world sees you.

“Laser Eye Surgery is for the way you see the world. It is a wonderful gift to you, yourself, that continues to give pleasure every waking minute!”

The magical moment that followed the applause was enhanced by a disembodied announcement over a loud-speak that a pair of reading glasses had been found and handed in to one of the organisers – the irony was not lost on my audience.

Image Source: jonathancrossfield.com