Having worn glasses permanently for the last five years, Lynne Line was thrilled when she heard about a new procedure which could rid her of them for life. She tells EMMA JOSEPH about her refractive eye surgery...

WHEN Lynne's son announced in 1999 that he was getting married she was determined her glasses would not spoil her enjoyment of the day.

The first port of call for the 55-year-old from Church Lane, Botley, was contact lenses, but she found even those posed their problems.

After wearing them for the wedding in 2000 Lynne, who runs the Botley Bathroom Centre with her husband, Peter, began to realise she still could not go about her day-to-day life with ease.

"Contact lenses do restrict you," she said.

"You should only wear them for eight hours a day, but no woman has just an eight-hour day."

After investigating laser eye surgery and discovering it would not help her, Peter heard about a presentation taking place on refractive eye surgery.

"It was my birthday," said Lynne, "so he thought we would go and have a look as my birthday present.

"I was known as the woman who asked all the questions and then I decided to make an appointment."

After several appointments with consultant opthalmic surgeon Rob Morris, where her suitability for the treatment was assessed, Lynne was approved as a candidate for the procedure.

Mr Morris then spent time in America updating the software, so Lynne was asked to wait for six months and had her first procedure in April this year, with the second eye being done in May.

She said: "I had it done under a local anaesthetic, which was strange, but nothing that was untoward, there was no way you could feel anything.

"Mr Morris talked me through it and it only took 15 to 20 minutes for it to be done."

After spending an hour at the hospital, Lynne was allowed home.

She experienced slightly blurred eyes immediately following the procedure and her eyes were sensitive for about two days, but she immediately began to realise the benefits of the surgery.

"The first thing I noticed was that I could pick up a newspaper and not have to put glasses on.

"Being in bed in the morning I could open my eyes and be able to read the digital clock. It was brilliant.

"It's the sharpness and clarity of everything around me - the greens look greener, shapes look sharper.

"I've been wearing either glasses or contact lenses permanently for more than ten years and having the surgery has given me a new lease of life."