Struggling with his vision from a young age, Ross refused to wear glasses for years until he realised at the age of 25 that he could no longer do without. Spending the following years trying to make glasses work for him, he grew increasingly frustrated with the impact they were having on his day-to-day life.

Practising martial arts, and not being able to wear his glasses during matches, he felt that his visual impairment left him at a disadvantage: “It was difficult to do martial arts, especially when I had competitions and I had to take them off. Being told to go to mat three to compete and then trying to find where mat three was, it was very difficult.”

The final incentive for Ross came during the global coronavirus pandemic, as having to wear face coverings meant that his glasses would continuously steam up. “Having to wear masks and my glasses just steaming up, I think that might have been the last straw,” he explains. As his father had received laser eye surgery 20 years ago and was delighted with the results, Ross eventually made the decision to opt for treatment at Optical Express: “My dad kind of pushed me to get it done, as he always says he should have done it 10 years sooner.”

Having now received treatment, Ross was surprised with how quick and painless the procedure was. “It was crazy, I was sitting in the waiting area next to another guy, and he went in and then came out 15 minutes later. I was like ‘how has that happened so quickly’,” he says. Over the moon with his results, he is looking forward to going into his next martial arts match with a lot more confidence: “I know what mats I’m going to and who I’m shaking hands with now. It’s amazing.”

With many of his friends considering treatment as well, Ross didn’t hesitate in recommending Optical Express: “It’s second to none for eye surgery. My dad has been and he recommended it to me. With Covid-19, the way they work is brilliant. Being able to see without having to wear glasses, it’s brilliant. I can’t wait for the future now!”