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A Manchester woman who has been short-sighted since she was 10-years-old has been treated by one of only two laser cataract surgery machines in the country to help her see clearly again.
Rebecca Donovan, 39, an eye specialist herself, had suffered all of her life with short-sightedness and it was not until she reached her mid-thirties she decided to take action.
She said: "From a young age, if I didn’t have my glasses on then I couldn’t see anything further away than right in front of my nose, so I was very dependent on them.
"I tried contact lens as I got a bit older but wasn’t very tolerant and in fact preferred wearing my glasses from both a practical and aesthetic point of view."
Her dependency on glasses was impacting on her active lifestyle particularly her love of swimming.
She booked her first appointment with Mr Imran Rahman at the Face and Eye Clinic in Manchester, who diagnosed her with having cataracts.
The clinic is one of only two places in the UK to be offering laser cataract surgery, the other being in London, and Rebecca was thrilled to learn that the procedure could provide her with the unaided distance vision she had never had.
Rebecca, from Castlefield, had shied away from reflective lens exchange treatments previously which uses a laser that creates customised, bladeless, self-sealing corneal incisions, as she was worried about losing her reading vicion.
But at 39 she made the decision that her reading vision was going to deteriorate anyway due to age and gaining her long vision was worth the sacrifice.
Rebecca had the laser cataract surgery on her right eye in March this year.
Traditional cataract surgery uses a blade to create corneal incisions and small forceps or a bent needle tip to create an opening in the membrane at the front of the cataract or lens.
It is based on the surgeon’s skills whereas the laser reduces sight-threatening complications.
The need for these manual techniques has been eliminated by using the far more accurate Femtosecond laser.
This advanced form of incision construction minimises the chance of leaking wounds, which may require stitches, and minimises the risk of infection.
Rebecca was pleasantly surprised at the ease of the procedure and the lack of pain or discomfort.
She added: "The most painful part of the whole thing was the eye drops I had to take beforehand to help dilate my pupil which stung.
"Once I was in the chair and looking at the ring of lights I felt absolutely nothing, which is incredible considering an incision was being made in my eye and the lens effectively
broken up.
"In fact after that, I got up and walked into the next room myself for the second part of the procedure.
"My eye was blurry for about five days afterwards but after that I was feeling the full benefit of the treatment - my vision has improved dramatically and I can now see with no help at all."
Earlier this year saw the arrival of the Femtosecond Laser from America for laser cataract surgery treating a condition that more than 65% of Britons over 65 are affected by.
This new procedure eliminates the risk of human error.
No other machines are planned to be made in the next 18 - 24 months as the machines cannot be physically made fast enough for their demand.
The machine is likely to become more integrated with the NHS in the future, at the moment some NHS patients are referred but do have to pay for their treatment.
The procedure is relatively pain-free and takes seconds to complete with minimal recovery time - a much faster, safer and more convenient option for patients.
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