A vision of fitness – nothing gets in the way for this RAF instructor

Fay Jordan’s life revolves around activity. As a Physical Education Officer responsible for fitness of all personnel at RAF Shawbury, she is constantly on the move, teaching fitness classes, circuit training, and spinning, and mountain bike racing in her spare time. Neither contact lenses nor glasses fitted into this lifestyle so she was keen to be free of them as soon as possible!

Fay, 29, originally from Sutton Coldfield, first noticed her eyesight deteriorating at university, when she struggled to see the board. From the outset, she chose to wear contact lenses rather than glasses but even from her early twenties she longed to have laser eye surgery. Her optician, however, advised that she wait until her eyes settled down as her prescription was still changing.

She joined the RAF in 2008 and found herself moving around the country every two-three years taking on different roles. Her love for outdoor activity was at the heart of the job, and she took part in regular camping trips and mountain bike races. A few incidents occurred which made her revisit the laser surgery option.

Firstly, a contact lens fell out during a mountain bike race and she had to complete the race with compromised vision. Secondly, she was often camping out for two or three days at a time, having to put in contact lenses with muddy hands and no mirror. And thirdly, she found that packing for a trip and having to remember all the paraphernalia that comes with lenses was a pain – last minute dashes to the chemist were common.

Fay says: “One of the lads at work wanted to become a parachute jump instructor, which required perfect vision. He had laser eye treatment so that he could pursue his dream and he gave me all the details. I was encouraged by how straightforward he had found the process and how different his life was without lenses. I researched local eye hospitals and came across Optegra Eye Hospital Birmingham.

“I knew as soon as I had my consultation that this was the place for me. I had visited several other companies but none felt as professional as Optegra. I met consultant surgeon Mark Wevill and, being an active person himself, he totally understood my lifestyle and my need to be lenses free. This made my decision easy.”

Consultant surgeon, Mr Mark Wevill, from Optegra Eye Hospital Birmingham, says: “Fay never liked wearing her contact lenses and when I heard what she did for a living I understood why. Laser eye surgery was the perfect option for her and meant she could carry on with her busy life almost immediately with minimal recuperation time.”

Fay only took one day off work to have the treatment. She could see clearly the evening of her operation and, although she couldn’t teach any spinning classes because of the risk of sweat getting in her eyes, she was able to do circuit classes shortly afterwards.

She says, “I love being able to get up in the morning and see immediately. There’s no faff when I get ready for work, and I can see the board when I’m teaching a circuits class. It’s the best money I’ve ever spent and I would 100 per cent recommend Optegra to everyone!”

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