Wayne Gray

Wayne Gray, scorer of Southend United’s crucial goal in their Championship promotion game in May, has had laser eye surgery at LaserSight Essex at the Phoenix Hospital, Fairfax Drive, Westcliff.

He explained: “As I’m long sighted I’ve worn contact lenses for a number of years but they have always been an issue with playing football. You have to be careful with lenses that you don’t get a knock in the eye, as this might move the lens or knock it out. Obviously, losing a lens on the pitch is a real problem as my eyesight was pretty bad without them.”

“There’s also the problem of ‘bad lens days’, when my lenses just didn’t feel right. I don’t get that any more, which is great.”

“My girlfriend’s had laser eye surgery and she recommended it to me. I had heard that it couldn’t treat longsighted vision but my surgeon said that this wasn’t the case. I’m very grateful that he managed to fit me in quickly, as we have the whole of June off and this gives my eyes time to recover before I go back to competitive football. Saying that, I’ve been told that I can do anything a month after surgery so I would be okay to play anyway.”

“I was worried at first that it might be a nerve racking experience, but it wasn’t. I’m now more confident in my vision and am looking forward to playing next season now that I can see so well and don’t have to worry about players catching me in the eye.

“I know a lot of footballers that were in the same position as me and I would really recommend that they had the treatment done”, he concluded.

Wayne’s surgeon, a leading NHS Consultant Surgeon and Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmology, said: “I was surprised that, as a professional sportsman, Wayne had such bad eyesight. But it’s amazing what you can achieve with laser eye surgery. His eyesight has really improved following the treatment and I know he is very pleased with it”, he added.

Michael Plant

“Eye”-kido is just the job for martial arts enthusiast!

Aikido fanatic Michael Plant has been able to give his glasses the chop thanks to pioneering eye surgery. The 34-year-old who lives in Corringham is one of the first people in Essex to take advantage of a revolutionary new form of laser surgery that enables surgeons to target treatment with unprecedented accuracy.

Not long ago Michael’s outlook was a complete blur because of a condition known as short-sight, which is caused by the cornea being too steeply curved for its own focusing power, resulting in blurred distance vision. From the age of 11 his world had only been brought back into focus by glasses or contact lenses. Now, however, it’s no surprise he’s feeling ecstatic as gone are the days of wearing heavy spectacles or uncomfortable contact lenses that irritated his eyes.

“I am way beyond just being happy about my vision,” said a delighted Michael, who is a computer consultant and runs his own company. “I noticed a difference straight away, it really was that immediate. There was no pain whatsoever. It was stunning and absolutely brilliant.” The amazing transformation has been brought about by a new treatment known as Wavefront-LASIK. It is a refined version of the already popular LASIK treatment, which corrects a patient’s vision by altering the shape of the cornea, changing the way light is focused by the eye on the retina.

The Wavefront breakthrough has come about from technology pioneered by astronomers studying distant planets. Their work in correcting distortions of light waves from space proved perfect for the technology needed to accurately map the human eye. During the initial consultation a fine beam of light is shone into the eye, which subsequently passes through the entire optical system and is reflected back by the retina. By monitoring and measuring the returning reflection over many points of the pupil, surgeons are able to identify even the most subtle imperfections or aberrations.

The technology enables surgeons to build up an accurate – and unique – map of the eye and allows treatment to be customised to the specific needs of each individual patient. The pioneering procedure was carried out at LaserSight — a specialist eye clinic set up by consultant ophthalmologists Sam Kasaby and Rajesh Aggarwal.

Michael, who has been practising martial art Aikido for eight years, had been toying with the idea of laser eye surgery for a while. He quite naturally wanted the outcome but was always worried about the risks. It wasn’t until he was put in touch with LaserSight following his opticians’ recommendation that he decided to actually take the plunge. One of the big deciding factors for Michael was that both of the consultants at LaserSight are specialist corneal surgeons. “I’m sorry but these are my eyes and as soon as my opticians said these were the people that they would trust and I went along for the initial consultation and found it so thorough and professional, I didn’t even consider going anywhere else!” he said.

He readily admits to being quite apprehensive before the treatment. “I was the proverbial patient from hell. I needed to understand the procedure but at no point was I put under any pressure and made to feel like I was being difficult. They answered every single one of my concerns in a way that I could understand. Aikido is all about things that feel right and wrong… I felt right about Mr Kasaby and felt confident about him.” After recovering from a shoulder injury and being set free from the clutches of glasses and lenses, he’s now keen to get back to Aikido, a relatively new martial art that involves looking at three elements — mind, body and spirit. “I am looking forward to going back. It’s quite a demanding martial art where you use a lot of momentum so you can’t wear glasses to practise. Contact lenses can be a slight hindrance so it will be nice not having to worry about getting a slight knock and dislodging a lens. There will be nothing holding me back now!” Since his procedure he’s been busy sharing the details of his “amazing transformation”.

He said: “I have been strongly recommending and telling people to at least go along for a consultation. More often than not it’s the thought of the procedure that is the stumbling block. People shouldn’t be put off just because they have concerns — they should read and understand what the procedure involves and talk any worries through with a consultant.”

Claire

I have left it over a year to write my comments as I really wanted to fully test my “new eyes”, and that is the only way to describe them.

Having been dependent on glasses for 20 years and having found that this can impact on whole areas of your life, I now after surgery so wish I had had the courage earlier to have my vision corrected.

And that is what it all comes down to….. courage.

One cannot call the experience pleasant as it isn’t however the attentiveness of the staff, calm surroundings, skill and patience of the surgeon coupled with the anticipation made that 20 minutes I was dreading fly by!

So don’t just think about it – do it – you will not regret it. It really does change your life.

Steve

I found out about them through personal recommendations of their surgeons, Mr Aggarwal and Mr Kasaby. Both were highly praised by trusted friends, so that should be reason in itself to check them out, especially if you’re in the Essex area and don’t want to travel up to London. www.lasersightessex.com, or 01702 608900.

Penny

I had Lasik surgery to both eyes. The treatment I received was excellent and I am delighted with the result. I have normal vision in both eyes and apart from occasional blurred vision and dryness in the first few weeks have had no other problems. The whole procedure was painless and I was able to go home within an hour and a half.

Mr Aggarwal performed my Lasik treatment, he was delightful and clearly explained the procedure. I have worn glasses and contact lenses for 45 years and am delighted not to need them except for reading. My vision was -2.5 & -2.75

Simone

I had been wearing glasses for 28 years and had been wearing GP contact lenses for 17 years for correction of Myopia. I had Lasik surgery with Mr R.K.Aggarwal which has completely changed my life for the better. I wished I had the surgery earlier. My prescription was

-7.00/0.25×30 in my right eye and -6.00/-1.00×165 in the left. I was dependent on my glasses. My prescription is now -0.25 in both eyes now with visual acuity of 6/5 in the right eye and 6/6 in the left without glasses.

I could see better straight after surgery with improvement happening each hour. The following morning everything was really clear. I have had my last check with no problems and still completely glasses free.

Mr Aggarwal explained what to expect and what I would experience in surgery which does put you at ease. I am very pleased with the result and have not stopped smiling since.

Stephen

Mr Aggarwal carried out Lasek on both my eyes to treat my short-sight prescription of -5. I am now enjoying perfect sight in both eyes. My many thanks go to Mr Aggarwal and the rest of the team for their very professional and personal service.