Relying on glasses to correct his vision since he was 9 years old, Ben never experienced any issues until he developed an interest in motorbikes at a later age. Finding that his glasses would steam up when he was out on his bike, blocking his view and therefore putting him at risk, he realised he needed to make the switch to an alternative vision correction solution.

Not feeling comfortable with wearing contact lenses, he decided to start looking into laser eye surgery to improve his quality of life.

Ben grew even more frustrated with his glasses when he had to start wearing face coverings during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoying the occasional shopping trip, he found himself unable to browse items freely as wearing a mask again resulted in steamed-up glasses: “I like going shopping but especially nowadays, you have to wear a mask, and your glasses steam up straight away. Then I have to take them off and struggle to see what I’m trying to buy. It just makes that a massive pain really.” Deciding to opt for treatment, he made an appointment at our Nottingham clinic.

While he was slightly nervous, he mainly felt excitement when he arrived on the day of surgery. “When I took off my glasses for the last time, hoping I would never have to put them on again, that was quite nice,” he explains. When coming in for his check-up the next day, he was delighted when he was told that he had achieved 20|15 vision, giving him even more exceptional visual acuity than someone with 20|20 vision. “Near-sighted is amazing, it’s very, very clear. Then far-sighted as well, on the drive over I’ve just been looking at number plates. I’ve just been fascinated looking at things that are further away,” he says.

Ben is now looking forward to jumping back into his active lifestyle with his new-found visual freedom. Skiing and running are at the top of his list, and he is delighted that he won’t have to deal with the minor irritations that come with wearing glasses any longer. Also being a keen swimmer, he now feels more confident returning to the swimming pool, knowing that blurry vision won’t be an issue: “I never really wore my glasses for swimming. I just put up with having not great vision, but it will be nice to have better vision.”

When asked if Ben would recommend laser eye surgery at Optical Express to friends and family, he didn’t hesitate: “The way I’ve been treated throughout has been very professional but friendly at the same time. It’s been a very good experience. I’m happy and excited, and it’s only going to get better from what I have been told!”