Margaret Gardiner

I visited AVC on the advice of my local opticians, after many months of thinking about Lens Replacement. My initial appointment was very thorough; I was provided with a lot of very clear information, and felt at all times that the staff wanted me to make an informed decision, in full knowledge of any possible risks and including a full CV for the surgeon. I was very short sighted (-6.75), with astigmatism, and also needed reading glasses. I also make jewellery and do a lot of Photoshop work, so place quite high demands on my eyes. I was quite prepared to live with the initial outlook, which was that 80% of the time I would not need specs, and would only need some off-the-shelf readers for prolonged close work. I felt confident enough to go ahead with the surgery, and am very glad I did.
The surgery took place in a very modern facility in North London. The nursing staff was brilliant and very supportive, and Pawel coordinated the whole thing brilliantly, even though, for the second op (left eye), the facility was very busy and he was clearly rushed off his feet. The surgeon was outstanding.
Two months after the surgery I have better than 20:20 vision, my distance vision is better than with specs, I can read even tiny text on my iPhone without specs, and can happily potter all day on the computer without specs at all, and no strain.  I use magnifiers for jewellery making only because I need to focus very close, to avoid back ache. So soon after surgery, I still see some residual “haloing” around things, but that improves daily, and I am assured it will disappear as my brain learns to see through the new lenses. It does take a few weeks for things to settle, and you need to be patient: this is no minor tweak of your vision. But after 45 years of wearing specs and contacts, the results are, to my mind, fantastic. I would certainly recommend AVC.