July 10th 2007
WEBLINK
Paul Ross on ITV's 'This Morning'
Recently Paul Ross, who has struggled with his eye-sight virtually all his life, underwent laser eye surgery. The results were almost instantaneous and Paul is now glasses free. This form of laser surgery is brand new and is only carried out in a few clinics in the UK. Paul’s problem eyes
Paul first developed eye problems when he was just 12 years old and has had to wear thick glasses from then onwards. He was very short-sighted and without his glasses he couldn't properly distinguish a person standing in front of him, at school he couldn't read a word of the blackboard. When he was 18 he got contact lenses but would always switch to his glasses when he was at home. "Most of my family wear glasses and I have got used to life with four eyes, but my eyes have been getting worse with age. I have to read lots of newspapers and check the internet frequently because of work, if I haven't got my glasses it is a nightmare. It's a relief to get my glasses off, especially in the summer, and I prefer how I look without them, especially on TV. It's better for the audience to see your eyes and not the light shinning off them." Paul has to wear glasses that are incredibly thick, a minus 9, David says: "Most people who are short sighted wear a minus 6 so Paul eyes were very poor. He was in a minority of 1% of the population who have a prescription that strong. Without his glasses he was legally blind." Dr David Allamby
Eye surgeon, Dr David Allamby performed this amazing surgery. David graduated for Sheffield University Medical School in 1987 and has specialised in ophthalmic surgery since 1989. He has worked at some of the UK's leading eye centres including Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
About the eye
The cornea is responsible for most of our vision. It is a clear, dome-shaped window that forms the front wall of the eye. It acts as a lens to focus incoming light rays onto the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In a 'normal' eye, light rays are brought to a single sharp focus directly on the retina resulting in clear vision. Any deviation is a "refractive error", such as myopia (short-sight), hyperopia (long-sight) and astigmatism (distorted vision). It occurs when the eyeball is to big or too small, or the cornea is miss-shapen. Age related problems
The nation's most common vision problem is presbyopia - it affects over 20 million people in the UK. It usually starts in the 40s, worsens until the early 60s and then stabilises. As you get older the lens becomes stiffer and you can no longer zoom in and out. You can focus at four foot and beyond, but things any closer are blurred. This is the problem that Paul began to have as he got older and was treated for as well. Most people who suffer from this will notice that after their early 60s their prescription won't change much, if at all. About the laser
Laser treatment reshapes the cornea. Traditional laser surgery has only been able to fix short-sight vision. This new advanced laser techniques however enables surgeons to correct both long-sight, and improve reading vision. Therefore it is possible to create a blended vision as it has in Paul's case altering one eye for distance and the other for reading. The eyes learn how to work together. At the moment the surgery is not available on the NHS,costs start at £1000. To book your vision correction consultation in Harley Street, please call 0845 5000 500
For further information please visit www.focusclinics.com
Or email info@focusclinics.com | 
