Back In Focus – Top Business Woman Receives Laser Eye Surgery

                                   As founder and CEO of a multi-award winning business and the personal holder of an awe- inspiring clutch of accolades, one would imagine that it would take a lot to frighten or distract the highly motivated and successful Geeta Sidhu-Robb.

But when it came to Laser Eye Surgery the “2010 Entrepreneur of the Year” and the holder of the “Business Woman of the Year” title the following year, admits that she was “petrified”.  Even thinking about the procedure changed  her usually driven and focussed personality into a quivering mass of doubt and procrastination.

“Despite realising that it was an irrational fear, I just couldn’t control it. Although I really wanted to have it done, I found it impossible to pluck up the courage … I was literally petrified at the thought of having Laser Eye Surgery“, said the creator of Nosh Detox (an award-winning London-based company which promotes health and well being with a full and varied range of detox and weight-loss programmes and supplements).

Geeta began building her business empire with a range of natural smoothies – Nosh stands for Natural, Organic, Safe and Healthy – and encouraged her customers to improve their health and well-being. Now, individuals can be given a personal, bespoke nutritional programme, which is then delivered directly to homes or offices around London, the rest of the UK, and Europe.

Nosh was founded in 2008 as a result of Geeta’s son being born with multiple food allergies and anaphylaxis. During the first 18 months of his life he spent 240 days in hospital and Geeta was forced to step aside from her career as a corporate lawyer to look after him. When she couldn’t find the help and advice she needed, she decided to develop her own solutions with nutritious balanced meals, alternative therapies and natural supplements. Using these natural methods she completely cured his eczema – which had covered him from head to toe – and reduced his asthma attacks to only an intermittent event. Today Geeta is happy to report that her 16-year-old son is only allergic to homework!

The original Nosh Detox has now expanded to include The Raw Smoothie – which uses a proprietary Raw Pressed Process (as opposed to the more usual heat-treated method of preservation) to ensure that the ingredients stay raw, fresh and flavourful, thereby providing maximum nutritional value – and the Infusion Clinic, a method of delivering a boost of vitamins, minerals and other natural substances directly into the bloodstream.

Geeta herself is a shining example of the healthy and energetic lifestyle her business represents. However, up until last year, only her close friends and family knew that alongside  a hectic business schedule – including frequent overseas travel and high-profile media appearances – she was also coping with the complications associated with poor eye-sight, and battling a fear of doing something about correcting it.

It took several conversations with her friend Dr Dan (they had both been pupils at the same school and now their children are also at school together) before she felt able to make a first appointment at the London Vision Clinic.

“Even though I hated the inconvenience of not being able to see without contacts, and the fact that my partner had already had successful Laser Eye Surgery, poor Dan had to work hard to convince me that the procedure was safe and painless.”

Eventually, Geeta managed to overcome her fears and, slightly over a year ago, had her -7.5 prescription corrected, binning the glasses she needed since childhood and the contacts which replaced them at the age of fifteen.

“Of course, the experience was not nearly as bad as I had expected – it was not even remotely painful. It was all over quickly and I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was to be able to see clearly immediately afterwards.”

Her visits to 138 Harley Street also gave Geeta the opportunity to watch the London Vision Clinic team in action through the eyes of a successful CEO, not just a nervous patient.

“I was tremendously impressed by the whole operation. It is an immaculately run organisation. Each part of the patient journey is seamless and faultless …every detail has been carefully considered.”

Following the operation, like so many other London Vision Clinic patients, Geeta – who is now a mother of three and also has two step children – finds herself wishing ‘if only I had done it sooner’.

“When I look back to when the children were small and all those interrupted nights – feeding and nappy changing – struggling to get out of bed and find glasses before going to them, it would all have been so much easier to have been able to see properly then.”

Geeta also regrets the time and effort wasted over the years of frequent flying and juggling time zones with all the paraphernalia necessary for contact lens wearers.

In addition, she finds it a bonus not having to worry about her eyesight or dreaded make-up malfunctions during the television interviews and other media appearances that are expected of the founder and face of a business (which has been awarded, amongst other things, “Best Detox” by Vogue and “Best Diet Delivery” by Zest magazine.)

“Knowing I can see clearly all the time, even under bright television lighting, has given me a real confidence boost. It is just one thing less to have to think about even when having photographs taken”, she said.

You can find out more about Geeta’s business at www.noshdetox.com www.therawsmoothie.com and www.theinfusionclinic.co.uk