Donatas Urbonas, a journalist from the largest Lithuanian basketball news website BasketNews.lt and the International Basketball News Portal BasketNews.com, had vision problems for a good decade. After he turned 18 years old, he started wearing glasses to obtain a driver’s license. However, during a pool visit, the decisive event prompted him to change the corrective measures.
“For a while, I didn’t wear glasses or lenses at all, although I didn’t see well. I only started to appreciate contact lenses in the 2nd or 3rd year of University because I saw that life could be much more beautiful and the colours much brighter,” recalls D. Urbonas, who has been recognised as the best Lithuanian basketball journalist for many years.
After trying contact lenses, the man eventually realised that this was not the best solution. D. Urbonas started to feel the most discomfort after working at a computer for a long time. The situation was further aggravated by travel on business. Flights by plane often occurred early in the morning after almost sleepless nights, and the contacts had to be placed on irritated, red and dry eyes. The man was worried about his health.
Could Have Lost Sight
“One of the key moments was when I got water in my eyes while swimming in the pool wearing contact lenses. It hurt a lot. I visited the emergency room, and I was especially struck by the words of the doctor who examined me: “Be glad that you can see because you could’ve been blind.” This was the first sign that pushed me to switch from contact lenses to glasses,” says D. Urbonas.
According to Eglė Juzėnaitė, an ophthalmologist and microsurgeon at the Lirema Eye Clinic, the interaction of contact lenses and water can cause various infections. Lenses absorb water and the bacteria, viruses or other pathogens it contains.
“Microorganisms stick to the contact lens and start to multiply due to heat and moisture. When lesions appear on the eye’s surface, these microorganisms enter deeper tissues and cause serious inflammation, which can result in irreversible vision loss,” warns the microsurgeon.
The Man Tried to Solve the Problem With Spectacles
After the incident in the pool, D. Urbonas replaced contacts with glasses. The spectacles temporarily solved the vision problem and became a little safer, but he still felt discomfort.
“When I left glasses at home and was left without aids to see, I felt awful and not so confident. Over time, it seems that you get used to the constant discomfort and can’t imagine it could be better. It is becoming a habit that you have to be accompanied by additional, vision-correcting measures throughout your life,” says D. Urbonas.
When you have vision problems, forgetting or failing corrective measures can make everyday life more complicated than it needs to be. Without glasses or contact lenses, the image blurs, it is difficult to recognise people’s faces and road signs, and it is dangerous to participate in traffic.
D. Urbonas Was Inspired by Patient Feedback
The journalist has long been interested in laser vision correction and searching for a reliable clinic. The delay was affected by both anxiety and lack of time.
“I have been maturing for this decision for a long time. I couldn’t make myself book an appointment, choose a clinic, and take that decisive step to fix my vision. Lirema Eye Clinic approached me with positive feedback from well-known people that the clinic staff considers the client’s needs and assesses whether the correction is vital and safe. I was fascinated by the human, non-commercial principle“, D. Urbonas shares his experience.
D. Urbonas remembers the vision correction procedure with a smile and jokes that it is scarier to visit a dentist. The patient is warned about all possible sensations during the operation, so he always knows what to expect. The patient is sent home with all necessary medications and instructions.
“There has been one week after the operation, and I can confidently call myself extremely lucky because I did not use either painkillers or sedatives. The first days after the surgery were the hardest, but my eyes were calm enough. I didn’t feel much pain. Everything is much simpler than it seems to us, and the only thing that separates us from good vision is fear,” concludes D. Urbonas.
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D. Urbonas’ experience after the laser vision correction procedure: