I carry my sunglasses in my bag. Even in winter. Just because I can wear them whenever I like now. I was stuck in the glasses/ contacts cycle. Contacts would dry my eyes so I couldn’t wear them for long and glasses were fine but annoying when the sun came out (which I get is rarely on this cloudy little Island we live on, but still!) In the summer, I was so sick and tired of never being able wear cool, fun sunglasses as my watery itchy hayfevery eyes prevented contacts. I couldn’t wake up to the faces of my children without fumbling on the beside table for my glasses or glancing at a the clock on the wall. Don’t even get me started on toddler’s finding it hysterical to whack your face and yank at your specs!
I’d been told during a routine eye test that my eyesight was stable and with my hormones settling post- pregnancy I knew that now was the time to get it done. I contacted a friend from Uni who’s father who knows about eyes. He so knows his stuff that he was Titled for his work in the field. His recommendation was on the basis that if he ever needed corrective eye surgery then who would he get to do it? The answer Mr Ali Meazra. That was recommendation enough. I booked a consultation and took my chance that I would be a good candidate, also organising the surgery 2 weeks later, so my childcare could be coordinated. The idea is that you go in for surgery on Tuesday afternoon, have Wednesday off work and then by Thursday, you are back in the office. I didn’t want a toddler whacking my eye so they were shipped off to the grandparents!
Ali’s Wimpole Street clinic is sleek to say the least. From the charming Juliet on the phone, answering my queries to the bubbly receptionist and the classy basement waiting room filled with frames of happy recognisable faces, smiling glasses- free and giving the thumbs up to the camera. Everyone is friendly and professional and the pre- and post- surgery care is brilliant. Everything you’d expect when you are spending near on £3000 (thanks to my interest free credit card and paying £50 off a month!) and dealing with something as fragile and essential as your eye sight. The £220 consultation is wrapped into the price of the surgery if you opt in. The surgery is £1500- £2500 per eye depending on the “complexity of prescription”. My vision wasn’t bad. It was -2.25 in one eye and -1.75 so I was on the cheaper end.
I was shown into one room- quickly, efficiently and politely examined and measurements noted. On to the next room where some other assessment were taken by someone else in a smart suit and a white coat. Then onto Ali himself with a clipboard full of calculations, who determined my eligibility for the surgery. It was all a very well oiled machine giving the impression that it had been done thousands of times before but it never lacking the personality to feel as though you are just a number. No question asked too stupid, in fact I imagine there were no new questions you could ask them. It left you with the feeling you were in very capable hands.
I am going to be honest. If you are ever going to do it, you need to just decide to do it and get it to get over it. Insultingly simplistic advice I know, but think of it this way- it is not only totally unnatural to get your eyeballs lasered open but if you are going through the full whammy with both eyes, you have to sit through it twice!! One of the most difficult things was getting over the fact that I could not just scrunch my eyes, curl in a ball and wish and will it over with, nor be sedated beyond consciousness. Although I was given a mild sedative which I took an hour before (ask for it and they’ll send it in the post!). Your eyes stay open and you are present in the room. You do see nothing but a blurry dot, you feel nothing but mild un-comfortableness thanks to the numbing drops. All the horrors are in your head and you wish you had never seen Clockwork Orange those many years ago. I’ve worn contacts for years so am not specifically squeamish about eyes but I would much prefer not to have someone poking about in there to be honest.
Ali talks you through it so you know what’s coming next. For the second eye, he just gets on with it and it’s over before you know it. The surgery takes less than 20 minutes. You then get up and walk happily out of the room. In fact, you can see me do that on his website! I don’t have any affiliation with Ali but I was asked whether I minded if a photographer was in on my surgery. I didn’t and now I am the star of his front page!!
After the surgery, you are taken into a darkened room to rest your eyes for 15 minutes or so. Your vision is blurry but inanimate objects are definitely recognisable from a metre or so away so the vision is definitely better. This is confirmed when Ali does a quick eye test on the chart which puts my vision at better than 20/20 after 20 minutes. Bloody hell! We discuss my follow ups and I get given a bag filled with bottles of drops; numbing drops if it starts to hurt, antibiotic drops and moisture drops, an instruction leaflet, pens and a tin of mints and head out in the world with my bloodshot eyes covered with sunglasses for protection. I felt like a Z list celebrity. As I was waiting for my Uber, I glanced across the road and read the tiny writing on the parking restrictions very clearly. I’m not sure I could even do that with glasses.
At home I go straight to bed. When I wake and remove all the tape and protective shields, I instinctively glance to the clock across the room. Hurrah! Full vision.
I can honestly say, if you are thinking of it. Don’t delay- it’s the one of tbest things I have ever done. I highly recommend Ali and his team and have already had a few friends book in their consultations. This summer was amazing and I even treated myself to some awesome Ray Bans as a thank you to myself. You’re welcome!
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