Binning The Alice Band Of Glasses

Returning to the scenario of sitting next to someone famous in the waiting room of the London Vision Clinic…. Should one put down one’s reading matter and offer to make them a cup of tea? Or would that appear too ingratiating for comfort?

I would have to contend that, in this situation,  there can be no fixed agenda… it all depends on… well every thing from pre-op nerves to general feelings of sociability or otherwise. It would probably be advisable to let the celebrity take the lead.

That said it must have been a rather odd scenario for GMTV fan and now London Vision Clinic patient Sandra, who not only found herself booked in to clinic at the same time as Phillip Schofield, but was also there as a direct result of the GMTV programme with Dr Dan.

She too had been thrilled to hear in the interview that Laser Eye Surgery had progressed to a safe and painless procedure making almost all eye sight problems a thing of the past.

Sandra even found herself featuring in the mini documentary film shown later on GMTV explaining Phillip’s Laser Eye Surgery journey. This can currently be viewed through the itv.com webpage or via Google and will shortly feature on www.youtube.com/londonvisionTV (watch this space for more on that).

In common with other London Vision Clinic patients (it is deliberate that I missed out the word “former” –as we all know we are all patients for life), I found the Dancing on Ice presenter’s experiences endearingly normal. From his annoyance at having to wear two pairs of glasses at the same time (or in the words of his gorgeous co-presenter, Holly Willoughby: “You had about ten pairs on your head like Alice bands – not a good look!) to his delight in finding that chocolate and a head and shoulder massage is prescribed for pre-op nerves.

He was also clearly fascinated by the procedure itself. His analytical and non-squeamish approach relays that the thickness of his cornea would be changed by approximately half the diameter of a human hair.

He doesn’t hold back on the subsequent miracle of perfect sight – the thrilling “Wow Effect”.  In the short film Phillip speaks about the joy of waking up in the morning and for the first time clearly seeing the branches on the trees outside his bedroom window.

It is also noteworthy that when he had discussed his earlier decision to have the surgery with family and friends – about 50% of them had tried to talk him out of it. This was also my experience and I have to comment that these opinions are based on a lack of up to date information and that the people who hold them –  although no doubt well meaning – should be gently guided to lvc14.wpengine.com to find out more details and to watch and read about patients’ own experiences.

So what happened to Phillip Schofield’s “Alice band of glasses”?

All of us London Vision Clinic patients know the answer to that question.

Yes, they went in the jar in reception ahead of being shipped of to the African sight charity.