Firefighter Amy spoke to us about her laser eye surgery experience through the Thanks a Million Campaign. The campaign was relaunched for the second time in 2023 and is dedicated to celebrating the hard work of NHS and Emergency Service workers by providing them with another £1 million worth of free laser eye surgery.

As a Firefighter, due to her glasses Amy was faced with many “visual demands” particularly when being on the road or surrounded by the blue lights. Amy found that predominantly wearing glasses was not very practical due to the nature of her job and the high stress environment she is often working in so would tend to rely on her contact lenses more often.

As a result, Amy sensed that it was affecting both her professional and personal life. She constantly had to remind herself to carry both her contact lenses and glasses whenever she left the house. Planning for holidays, weekend getaways, or social outings became more challenging as Amy had to ensure she had sufficient contact lenses to last throughout her time away.

After scrolling across the Optical Express “Thanks a Million” campaign on social media, Amy was eager to apply and could not believe her luck when she received her phone call to tell her that she had been successful. We caught up with Amy just 24-hours after her surgery in our Harley Street clinic and she noted that immediately after the procedure, she was instructed to sit up, and she could already notice a significant improvement to her vision.

Amy had expected that it would take around four days to experience substantial improvements post-surgery. However, to her surprise, just 24 hours later, she remarked on the "surreal" feeling of finally being able to see clearly. Amy had only positive feedback regarding her laser eye surgery journey with Optical Express, expressing that the staff provided exceptionally reassuring care. Everyone she met from the Receptionist to the Surgeon ensured that she felt comfortable and relaxed.

Now Amy is looking forward to being able to have one less thing to worry about whether that is in a workplace setting or her daily life, she now has complete visual freedom. When asked if she would recommend laser eye surgery at Optical Express to her friends and family Amy said “Absolutely, in a heartbeat!”. Amy has already recommended Optical Express to a number of people in her life and wishes that she had gone ahead with her surgery sooner.