We gifted Jacqueline Sellar, a police officer from Glasgow, with life-changing laser eye surgery as a thank you for her hard work in the police force.
Since the age of 12, Jacqueline has struggled with her eyesight. At 50, she became totally dependent on extremely strong prescription glasses to aid her vision.
Jacqueline tried contact lenses on a number of occasions but found that they only led her eyes to dry up. Her need for varifocal lenses meant that she would constantly reach for a different pair of glasses, reducing her efficiency at work.
Her role as a constable police officer means she regularly works through the night, often in strong wind and rain that would cause her glasses to fog over.
What’s more, she feared that her glasses could be knocked off on the job, leaving her vulnerable to criminals.
Fed up with her poor vision, Jacqueline responded to an opportunity shared within a police Facebook group offering free laser eye surgery. Since her successful application, Jacqueline said “I feel like my more confident, younger self. Not having to rely on glasses has given me a new lease of life.”
This year, for the first time, Jacqueline will have the freedom to wear non-prescription sunglasses on her holiday to Spain.
The surgery was gifted to the dedicated officer as part of our ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign, which rewards NHS and emergency service workers with free laser eye surgery.
Following a survey of members of the British public, the ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign rewarded free laser eye surgery to deserving members of the NHS and emergency service workers because the survey found that they are the most deserving of thanks.
David Moulsdale, Chairman and CEO said: “Our Thanks a Million campaign aims to give back to those that help us most, so Jacqueline is a truly deserving Thanks a Million patient.”
“We’re thrilled that Jacqueline will now be able to enjoy her life without the barrier of glasses. Laser eye surgery is an alternative option to vastly reduce waste caused by single use plastics such as contact lenses, which are having a huge, but often overlooked impact on the environment.
“New figures from Optical Express, suggest that over 750 million plastic lenses are being flushed down the drain or put in landfill every year. These lenses form microplastics, pollute the oceans and endanger marine life.”