London Vision Clinic – true vision without glasses
If you’re fed up with spending hours looking for your glasses and or have to switch between pairs of glasses on your head depending on whether you need to read something on the computer or drive along the motorway, then you are in the place I was a year ago. By something akin to a miracle, my life has changed considerably and I can now see without glasses; write articles, read the smallest of print and can “dress to impress” without having to worry if my glasses match my latest Alexander McQueen outfit.
Over the last few years, I have met people who have undergone laser treatments to correct their vision, but it was always something that I was wary of doing and I thought this it was only available for people with short sightedness (no focus in the distance) and not a reading problem, as I thought I had. However, a girlfriend persuaded me to have a consultation with Professor Dan Reinstein at the London Vision Clinic, who she assured me was a pioneer in this field. I knew almost immediately that I was in the right hands. Over his 25-year career, Professor Reinstein has built an international reputation as a uniquely experienced and pioneering LASIK surgeon. For over two decades, he has dedicated himself solely to Laser Eye Surgery, and is one of the few Ophthalmic Surgeons in the UK to do so, having delivered over 1000 professional lectures, with 165 published articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals to date. I booked myself in and planned to have the surgery a few weeks later.
When it comes to your eyes, safety is probably everyone’s main concern, Professor Reinstein told me. “Most people are ignorant of the facts,” he said. “We have conducted thousands of Laser Eye Surgery operations — in the right hands, it is extremely safe.” This was very reassuring. He told me that for my eyes, which were a mix of long and short sighted, I would need Laser Blended Vision, otherwise known as presbyopia. Presbyopia literally translates as “old eye.” Unfortunately, ageing affects the eye just as it affects every other part of the body — the lens inside the eye begins to lose its ability to change shape and “zoom” from distance to near and back. But it’s not all bad news. “We can treat 98% of people — including those with very high prescriptions,” Professor Reinstein told me.
First available in the UK at London Vision Clinic, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision is an innovative treatment for ageing eyes that can significantly reduce, or even eliminate, the need for reading glasses, bifocals, or varifocals for many years. This method of increasing the depth of field of the eye, using a revolutionary Laser Eye Surgery technique, was pioneered over 10 years ago by Professor Reinstein in conjunction with Carl Zeiss Meditec. As well as being significantly less invasive, studies have shown that PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision is suitable for pretty much anyone. After treatment, over 90% of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision patients say they can read print as small as the type on medicine bottle inserts.
A few appointments and tests later, I arrived on the morning of surgery feeling very nervous, but Professor Reinstein was so confident and reassuring that he made me feel I had nothing to worry about — and the end result justified this. I was whisked into a state-of-the-art surgery room to hear the soothing voice of Professor Reinstein whilst I was prepared for this very short surgery. Really, it was only minutes and I didn’t feel a thing as I looked into the abyss of a laser scope window. Laser Eye Surgery is so minimally invasive that, after receiving the treatment, apart from the new, improved and glasses-free vision, I had little or no signs that it had ever happened. I was told to rest for the next few hours and had some very mild discomfort where my eyes were stinging a little bit, but this was comfortably managed with the eye drops provided.
As the months have passed, my vision has become even clearer as my brain has adapted to the new way of seeing. I can honestly say after testing from my follow-up visits that I now have 20/20 vision and nothing is stopping me. This surgery is life-changing, and it’s by far the best investment that I have ever made. It’s helped me in my work life and has improved my social life — in fact, I feel about ten years younger! All the staff at London Vision Clinic were very professional, and I have received excellent service and patient care before, during and after I had the surgery.
If you’d like to book a consultation, or find out more about Laser Eye Surgery for ageing eyes, give London Vision Clinic a call on +44 (0) 20 7224 1005, or visit www.londonvisionclinic.com.
