By Sunday night my vision was starting to get better and on Tuesday I got the post op contact lenses removed.
After that I could legally drive – I could see everything and each day my precise vision got better and better.
In the beginning it took my eyes a wee while to adjust in the mornings but now everything is brilliant.

At the age of 30 I can see really clearly for the first time in years – I have better than 20/20 vision and have the sight of a fighter pilot.

So far I have had three check-ups at the clinic and I have another one in six months time – with the surgeon who conducted my operation.

There is no way to describe this other than a miracle – this surgery has totally changed my life. Every day I notice something else – for example I go running each day and if it was raining my glasses would steam up and my contact lenses would slip. But now I can go out for a run and I no longer think about what I need to do to see.

Being able to see clearly has really given me freedom. I am going on holidays and I used to have to worry about having glasses, lenses prescription sunglasses and having to have all this stuff with me just to go down to the beach or the pool and now I just don’t need to think about any of that.

Even just to wake up in the morning and be able to see is amazing.

So having laser eye surgery has really worked for me but I would say to anyone embarking on it to do their research. This is a serious operation so you must know the risks involved. Make sure you know who is carrying out your procedure and the technology and the safety of the surgical technique used by your surgeon.

With the Cathedral Eye Clinic I couldn’t have asked for better and now I can’t actually believe the difference it has made.

Read the full article here

Read about our Laser here

Co Down woman Daphne Aldworth had given up on saving her eyesight after being told that nothing could be done for her. But her doctor son had heard that she might be able to find a solution at the private Cathedral Eye Clinic, based at the University of Ulster in Belfast.

And just weeks after undergoing surgery, Daphne is back playing her beloved badminton. The active Saintfield woman is over the moon, insisting:

It has given me my life back again!

I have had eye problems all of my life. I had a squint as a child and underwent surgery for that. I was losing my sight and went to get a check-up and was told that I was developing a cataract and that there was nothing that could be done for me personally.

I was told I wouldn’t be getting any better but then my son told me about the Cathedral Eye Clinic and that I could have my eyes at least checked there under BUPA.

The staff there were brilliant and I decided to have the operation done. Just a few days later, my vision was superb. I just couldn’t believe how clearly I could see, it was unreal for a while.

To go from the despair of being told that my various conditions cold not be treated to seeing so clearly again was just incredible.

Daphne of course couldn’t wait to tell all her friends at the badminton club in Saintfield where she plays.

I’ve told absolutely everybody.

People need to know that this advanced sort of treatment is available. If it can help someone like me then it might just help others who have also been told they can’t be helped.

I love swimming and just doing that again has been wonderful.

The surgery was performed by Professor Jonathon Moore from the Cathedral Eye Clinic.

Clinic director Andrew Spence revealed that Daphne suffered from a wide range of eye illnesses including:

• Cataracts which affected her vision, increased glare and visual impairment in her right eye below driving standard.
• Hypermetropia — meaning she was longsighted.
• Astigmatism — complex rugby ball shaped eyes
• Ocular surface disease — making glare worse than normal
• Previous squint correction surgery

Mr Spence revealed:

We implanted bespoke toric iols (lens made up from her eye measurements) of a design and specification to negate the astigmatism and long-sightedness. These lenses give Daphne back her ability to see clearly, reduce her glare and increase contrast.

We also treated her ocular surface with specific lubricant for her type of dry eye.

Daphne is a smashing lady and we are so delighted with her results. I believe she is a pretty nifty badminton player and if our work helps her to win a few more games, we’ll be even more delighted.

The operation gives her good vision without glasses.

Martin Howley is a familiar face on the Irish rally scene as well as in Killybegs where the fisherman skippered a boat for 30 years.

Now the 58-year-old has revealed that he has ditched his glasses after undergoing an “incredible” new eye operation at Belfast’s Cathedral Eye Clinic.

And next week he will compete in the Mayo rally, his first race without glasses.
Martin commented:

I’m like a lot of people my age; my eyesight is deteriorating due to age but I’m just a bit too old for laser surgery.
Then I heard about this new procedure in Belfast and I had to check it out. I spoke to a couple in Donegal who had had it done and I booked myself in.

Drive without glasses

The businessman had an Lentis M-Plus multi-focus lens inserted into his right eye, restoring his sight so that he could even drive without glasses the next day.

I have to say it is absolutely incredible. I’ve spent a fortune on glasses over the years, forever losing expensive ones. To have a life without glasses now is a massive change for me.
I’m competing in the Mayo Rally next week and won’t have any glasses on board! And that was after going through a procedure that lasted just 15 minutes.

The revolutionary new procedure was carried out by one of Ireland’s leading eye specialists Professor Jonathon Moore from Belfast’s Cathedral Eye Clinic.
Martin revealed that the professor, who lectures on the procedure to other eye specialists from around the world, had called him personally several times afterwards to check on his progress.
Professor Moore said:

Vision correction surgery has really taken off from small beginnings two decades ago.
I have been working to help develop new techniques and the MPlus lens replacement is the very latest technology. It’s the next step forward and it’s a huge step forward.
It opens up a whole new world, especially for those over the age of 40 who tend not to be suitable for regular laser treatment.
It truly is life-changing.

Based at the University of Ulster in York Street, Belfast, Professor Moore and the Cathedral Eye Clinic specialise in a range of ground-breaking procedures.
Clinic director and optometrist Andrew Spence said:

This lens is the very best and involves the very latest technology. It has the potential to literally change lives.
This lens itself is very simple but it gives outstanding results.
We know from talking to people like Martin how it does make a massive difference.
Whereas the laser treatment offered at the moment generally only suits people under the age of 40, this new treatment can work for most people of any age.
This procedure is relatively new and we will be supporting Martin all the way in the Mayo Rally next week.

Donegal Democrat – 10th March 2011

Tony Canning and his wife Marie from Castlefin in Co Donegal had MPlus lenses fitted in their eyes by experts at the Cathedral Eye Clinic, based at the University of Ulster in Belfast.

Now Tony (68) and schoolteacher Marie (63) say their lives have changed completely because of the operations – and admit they have even stopped bickering with each other!

Tony, originally from Mohill in Co Leitrim, said:

“I had two sets of glasses and I was forever lifting the wrong ones. I have to admit the operation has even improved my temper….I’m no longer frustrated looking for glasses around the house!”

The revolutionary MPlus lens exchange surgery can restore 20:20 vision in most patients, regardless of age.

It’s being dubbed ‘laser for the over 40s’ – as regular laser treatment rarely works for people over that age.

Said Tony:

I started wearing glasses when I was 40 and my eyesight had deteriorated ever since, especially when I was driving. I ended up with two sets of glasses.

Then I read about these new lenses and Marie and I decided to go for tests to see if we were suitable and thankfully we were.

I had two separate operations, one on each eye, and each lasted just a few minutes. In fact in the first one I asked the surgeon if he had started yet – and he told me he had already finished!

The results are unbelievable. I can see everything clearly now and driving is a pleasure again. The peripheral vision is superb. When I say it is life-changing it really is. It is one of the best things I have ever done.

I do a bit of wood work as a hobby and putting safety glasses on over my old glasses was a complete pain. I no longer have to do that…and my woodwork has probably improved!

His wife Marie, 63, says she is still pinching herself.

“It is absolute freedom,” said Mrs Canning, originally from Shercock in Co Cavan, who spent most of her career teaching in Derry, Strabane and Donegal.

I had 13 different pairs of glasses in my house and I hated them all. I went in to my opticians and asked for their lightest and sturdiest pair of glasses but even they bothered me, so when I read about the Cathedral Eye Clinic, I had to check it out.

My life has completely changed. All the little things you do every day have become so easy again. I can do simple things like reading the paper or threading a needle on my sewing machine.

Even talking to my son in Australia on Skype has become a breeze! And Tony is right, there’s a lot less tension in our house these days. Neither of us is fumbling about the house anymore looking for glasses – and blaming each other for lifting them!

The revolutionary new procedure was carried out by one of Ireland’s leading eye specialists Professor Jonathon Moore from Belfast’s Cathedral Eye Clinic.

The Cannings had Lentis M-Plus multi-focus lenses inserted into the front of their eyes in separate operations.

The professor, who lectures on the procedure to other eye specialists from around the world, said today:

Vision correction surgery has really taken off from small beginnings two decades ago.

I have been working to help develop new techniques and the MPlus lens replacement is the very latest technology. It’s the next step forward and it’s a huge step forward.

It opens up a whole new world, especially for those over the age of 40 who tend not to be suitable for regular laser treatment.

The Cannings are the first couple to have the treatment. I know from what they have told me it has made a massive difference to their lives. That is very satisfying for us.

Based at the University of Ulster in York Street, Belfast, Professor Moore and the Cathedral Eye Clinic specialise in a range of ground-breaking procedures.
Clinic director and optometrist Andrew Spence said today

This lens is the very best and involves the very latest technology.It has the potential to literally change lives.
This lens itself is very simple but it gives outstanding results. We know from talking to people like the Cannings how it does make a massive difference.

Whereas the laser treatment offered at the moment generally only suits people under the age of 40,this new treatment can work for most people of any age.

We have had dozens of patients for MPlus lens procedures but Mr and Mrs Canning are the first couple to have it done. They were brilliant throughout and we’re delighted it has made such a difference to their lives.

Read more about MPlus here

This range of medical expertise enables the clinic to treat eye conditions that may not be suitable for standard refractive surgery in other clinics. For example, Professor Johnny Moore specializes in treating difficult corneal and anterior segment problems using the most up-to-date laser platforms and intraocular lens technologies available in the world today. New treatments for the management of keratoconus, such as automated mechanical or laser lamellar surgery and Intacs, are also available. Please contact the Cathedral Eye Clinic for further information on other treatments.

My life has been transformed since having laser eye correction surgery at the Cathedral Eye Clinic in Belfast.

I am now able to drive, work and carry out complex repair jobs — quite often complex colour coded wiring jobs on forklift trucks with my staff.

I couldn’t believe that I could read and see perfectly as soon as I sat up after the procedure was complete.”

And Cecil agrees:

I have absolutely no regrets, I am delighted. Having my vision corrected has made me focused, it has made me more alert, and it has made me more active. It has made me feel ten years younger. It has been a life changing episode, there are no two ways about it.