Relying on glasses from the young age of 9, Kelly decided to make the switch to contact lenses when she turned 14. Having to wear them for extended periods of time, however, she found she had become more susceptible to eye infections and even ended up developing pseudomembranes as a result of viral conjunctivitis.

When she was forced to undergo a two-hour long procedure to remove them, from which it took her a month to recover, she knew it was time to make a change in order to prevent any more damage to her eyes.

Having an active lifestyle and being fond of a variety of sports, Kelly was hesitant to revert back to wearing glasses. Working as a Consultant Obstetrician also meant that she had to start wearing full PPE during the global COVID-19 pandemic, which caused her glasses to steam up and therefore added another barrier between her and her patients. Not wanting to put her eyes at risk from wearing contact lenses, and eager to avoid the hassle that comes with wearing glasses, she eventually decided to opt for laser eye surgery. “Overall, it seems a no-brainer. I just wish I had done it sooner, I’m sure everyone says that,” she comments.

As one of her colleagues had previously received treatment at Optical Express and couldn’t praise it enough, she decided to book in for treatment at our Cambridge clinic. “One of my colleagues used Optical Express, who is a doctor, and recommend it. They said it was very approachable, the fact that they had NHS discount certainly helped as well as the payment methods, and the aftercare was very good,” she explains.

While a slight apprehension kicked in when she arrived at the clinic for treatment, she quickly felt reassured upon meeting the team. Describing the atmosphere as ‘friendly’, she was delighted to find that she could easily approach staff members with any questions or concerns. As her surgeon also took the time to talk her through the entire process, she felt confident when she went into surgery. “The surgeon was very calm and very approachable. The whole atmosphere in the room was friendly. He talked me through every little bit that was happening. So you felt like you knew what was going to happen, you weren’t in the dark.”

Kelly has now received treatment and was ecstatic to find that she had achieved 20|20 vision. In the days following surgery, she already noticed the massive impact that improved vision was having on her day-to-day life, mentioning little things like being able to read registration plates and shampoo labels in the shower. “It’s just little things that I’m sure I will discover going forward, little things that you just took for granted,” she says.

Delighted with her results, Kelly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Optical Express to friends and family: “They’ve been excellent in the pre-operative care, the communication, allaying any worries or concerns and answering the questions. All the staff have been exactly the same in their approachability and friendliness, and I cannot fault their aftercare and the whole contract from the start really.”