Charley, a competitive bodybuilder from Leeds, opted for life-changing LASIK laser eye surgery at Optical Express. Competing in a number of prestigious competitions, including the British Finals and the World Championships, she found that severely restricted eyesight was impacting on her confidence. With contact lenses not being a suitable solution Charley was left with no other option than to compete virtually blind.

“I had contact lenses in, my eyes were itchy, they were dry, you know, my eyes were streaming and my make-up would come off on stage. It was more of a hindrance actually, instead of just being blind and just not seeing anybody,” she explains. Often opting for glasses outside of competitions, she grew increasingly frustrated with the daily inconvenience of them, and found that she was unable to wear them in the gym: “I don’t wear glasses when I gym because they fall off and they get steamed up, so I was just blind and it was no way to live really. It was really irritating, because I couldn’t go to any new gyms because I didn’t know where the equipment was.”

Fed up with the constant hassle, Charley finally decided to look into laser eye surgery as an alternative solution. Keen to opt for treatment with a market leader and having been recommended Optical Express by friends and colleagues, she didn’t hesitate and booked an appointment at our state of the art treatment centre in Leeds. “When I said I was getting it done, colleagues I work with and even my managers as well, they all went to Optical Express. The thing that they all said was ‘It was the best thing I ever did’,” she comments. “A lot of them had it done 20 years ago, and they’re like ‘Yeah, my vision is perfect,”, she continues.

Feeling slightly anxious in the run-up to her surgery, Charley was relieved to find that the team held her hand and supported her throughout every stage of the process. “The whole team from start to finish, I had so many consultation calls, I came in here to meet loads of different people and they held my hand every step of the way really, so, it was quite a nice environment to be in,” she explains. In the weeks following treatment, she was delighted with her new-found visual freedom, but figures it will still take some getting used to: “It’s really, really bizarre, but yeah, it’s definitely improved my quality of life.”

Charley had such a positive experience with Optical Express that she recommended laser eye surgery to her partner, who has now booked in for treatment. “They haven’t failed me in terms of communication, in terms of aftercare, appointments, and keeping in contact with me. I think although the surgery has been absolutely spot on, there’s so many other things that contribute to a good company and a good experience, and for me, a lot of it is about customer care,” she says. “Everyone seems really happy to be here and is happy to help,” she concludes.