Doug Howlett, the famous All Black and Munster legend talks about his experience with Optilase.

After years of wearing contact lenses Doug Howlett decided to have laser eye surgery at Optilase after a team mate recommended the procedure.

"Having to wear contact lenses was a real pain. I really can't believe how this has changed my life. It has easily been one of the best decisions I have made. I simply cannot recommend Optilase highly enough".

Health & Beauty
Posted on 25/08/2011
by Christine Allen

Having worn contact lenses and glasses for over 18 years, Munster rugby player, Doug Howlett, says laser eye surgery has changed his life. He tells Christine Allen what life was like before and after surgery at Optilase Clinic in Cork Doug Howlett began wearing spectacles at a young age as he suffered short sightedness. He says his emergence into the world of professional sport was always tainted because of his sight problems and his game was always tinged with anxiety about his contact lenses.

“It was really difficult at times, my contact lenses would be loose. I play a full contact sport, I could easily get a finger into the eye.”
He says he once played a game with only one contact lense in. “The other had fallen out and was lost. I played the game with one eye closed, in a bid to focus my other eye. It was terrible,” he explains.

He also needed glasses to drive and says his first moments in the morning involved wrestling with contact lenses.
“It became the norm - I’d wash my face and try put my contacts in.” (more…)

Monday, 4th July, Munster rugby star, Doug Howlett has today confirmed that he underwent laser eye surgery at Optilase Clinic in Cork last Tuesday week ago, the 21st June and will start back to training with better than 20:20 vision.

Doug told us:
“I can confirm that I had laser eye surgery just under two weeks ago at Optilase Clinic in Cork. I really can’t believe how this has changed my life - it was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. I woke up the next day to a whole new world and was back at light training the following week - I just wish I had done it sooner!

MD of Optilase Keith Wilkinson added:
“We were delighted Doug chose us for his surgery, he was a great patient! It was a text-book successful surgery, with Doug achieving perfect vision within a few days of surgery. We know he’s keen to get back on the pitch which he’ll soon be fully cleared to do. We look forward to watching him do what he does best and scoring tries for Munster!”

With an outstanding 49 tries in 62 tests, Howlett is currently the 5th-highest try scorer in Rugby Union history and first on the all-time highest try scorers for the All Blacks. Howlett has a formidable reputation of being one of the fastest wings ever in the history of the game… we wonder if he’ll be even faster with even better than 20:20 vision!

Doug came along to our super-successful event night last Thursday, to celebrate our 1st anniversary in Cork – for Optilase Clinic and Therapie Clinic… from goody bags and special offers to good food and wine as well as great people, it was a great night in Cork! Here’s to many more anniversaries to come!

Article published in The Cork News.

Laser Eye Surgery in Cork

People who would previously have simply coped with their sight problems are now looking towards a long-term solution. That’s according to Laser Optometrist and Optilase Clinic Manager, Dan O’ Brien who highlights that with the spiralling cost of glasses and contact lenses, people are now seeking an alternative. For many, that solution is Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye clinic, which has been improving the vision of the people of Cork for the last year.
Located on Opera Lane, the state-of-the-art clinic is conveniently situated within easy access of all major transport links. Also, Optilase operates flexible opening hours including weekends and late evenings, allowing the clinic to build consultations, surgeries and after care around their patients’ busy schedule while the experienced team, comprising of consultant ophthalmic surgeons, laser optometrists, nurses and coordinators, are all leaders in their fields.
“It is a life changing experience for people, and having it done myself, I know what a difference it can make,” says Dan. “I play a lot of sports so it has made a huge impact in my life. I also suffer from dry eye so I could only have contact lenses in for five hours at a time. The procedure has meant a massive change to my life, and I’m not restricted by glasses anymore.” (more…)

Article published in Metro Herald, June 15th, 2011.

Laser Eye Surgery with Daragh Reddin (Part 2)

Laser Eye Surgery, Part II: Following a series of consultations detailed in last week’s Body Matters, Daragh Reddin finally makes the decision to cast off the glasses and goes under the, er, laser at Optilase

The weekend finally arrived and I was ready to entrust my (hopefully improved) vision to Optilase: Friday: The good news is that after my initial consultation and a rigorous examination at Optilase my eyes have been deemed healthy enough to undergo laser treatment; it’s consoling to know, however, that on the day prior to surgery I’ve been booked in for yet another appointment to thoroughly recheck the eyes and ensure, with absolute certainty, nothing is amiss. This also affords me an opportunity to meet my consultant ophthalmic surgeon Mr Wayne Crewe Brown (MB ChB MMed) who, in a career spanning more than 18 years, has performed some 22,000 procedures. (more…)

Article published in Metro Herald, June 8th, 2011.

Laser Eye Surgery with Daragh Reddin (Part 1)

Laser eye surgery: A short-sighted Daragh Reddin discusses his spec-wearing history upon his first visit to Optilase where he discovers he is eligible for laser eye surgery.

My tempestuous relationship with eye-wear began more than 20 years ago when I was a dopey, mildly-myopic nine year- old, who’d started to struggle more and more with making out the blackboard
(not just what was written on the blackboard but the board itself). A visit from the public health optician confirmed what I’d long suspected: I would need glasses and I would need them pronto. Now, in my wide-eyed innocence I wasn’t at all perturbed by the prospect – quite the opposite. I was absolutely certain, in fact, that my new spectacles would lend me a rakish charm and sophistication that would endear me to my class-mates in a way that would have been unimaginable were I not blessed with mole-like vision. Oh, the folly. (more…)

Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye clinic, has recently opened in Derry and is conveniently located on the Carlisle Road in front of the Foyleside Shopping Centre. The clinic is opened 7 days per week, and late night Monday to Thursday, allowing our patients in the North to easily arrange their free consultations and aftercare appointments.

Mark Shortt, Clinic Manager of Optilase Derry, is delighted to be able to offer free consultations to people from all parts of the north of Ireland and to help them on their journey to say goodbye to their glasses and contact lenses: “Laser eye surgery with Optilase is the affordable and effective choice for people who are fed up with their eyewear. At Optilase Derry, we are happy to be able to offer the safest and most precise FDA approved laser technology to our patients, with a low price guarantee that includes a lifetime care guarantee as standard.”

Call us today on 08000 121 565 (N.I.) or +353 1 223 8821 (ROI) to arrange your free consultation!

Article published in Cork Independent, May 5th, 2011.

My Laser Eye Surgery Experience (Part 4)

ONE week of antibiotic drops four times a day; anti-inflammatory drops three times a day; lubricant drops whenever I needed them; odd-looking Darth Vader goggles in bed; and better than 20:20 vision. You read that right. Better than 20:20 vision. (more…)

Our New 2011 TV Campagin ad. This is our 2nd ad.

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Article published in Cork Independent, April 22, 2011.
 

My Laser Eye Surgery Experience (Part 3)

 
It's D Day. By the time you are reading this (depending on what time you get your Cork Independent), I will be on my way to or in Optilase.
 
My appointment is for 4pm today. I need to bring sunglasses, and an escort to drive me home. I will probably need someone to drive me there, too, as my knees already feel a (more…)