Adam Bednařík

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight Operations Officer& Commercial Pilot

Having my eyesight operated was a step that I had to take in order to achieve my career goals. As a pilot having good eyesight is a fundamental prerequisite in order to meet my medical requirements. In the end the decision was simple because it was mandatory.

My eyesight was not extremely bad but it was not sufficient to pass my 1st Class Medical that is required of an Airline Pilot. I also disliked wearing glasses as they restricted me during my sport activities. Contact lenses were of course less restrictive but it caused me a great deal of trouble inserting and removing them from my eyes.

In my case I did not have time to have many second thoughts about the operation. From the time that I found out that I would need this operation to the time that I had my first eye finished, no more than a week had elapsed. Of course one has some fear of the outcome but it did not play a role in my decision to undergo the operation. I was more afraid that I would be required to miss some days at work, which in the end turned out to be completely the opposite case.

Once the decision was made that I would undergo the operation I started gathering information about where I could have it done. I then visited all these places after which I decided to have it done at your clinic.

There were two main factors affecting my decision were to have this operation preformed. First of all I was in a rush as time was a big factor for me. I simply did not have time to wait a month or so till I could get on the operating table. Secondly and more importantly, I must admit that I am some what of a bad patient. I truly despise going to the doctor's office and at the sight of a syringe I start to feel a bit faint. Due to this it was very important for me to be in the presence of friendly and professional staff that would be taking care of my wellbeing. From the beginning the staff here has been just that which made me feel very comfortable. The office is also very comfortable and inviting and one does not feel like he/she is in some hospital but it's more like being in the reception of a nice hotel.

I remember the first morning after the operation. I was lying in the bath and I was looking in astonishment across the bathroom reading the names of various creams, deodorants, etc. It came to me as an absolute surprise that already after just one night I could see with such clarity, it just simply astounded me. Also considering that this was my first day after the operation, I had a lot to look forward to.

At the moment I work in a very large collective of curious colleagues and friends, and I must have heard the questions "how do you see now" and "how do they perform the operation" a million times. I start out by describing in detail the entire operation. Most everybody begins to think that this is something that they could not go through with but when I tell them that the operation takes but a few minutes they quickly start listening again. I then tell them that the morning after the operation I could already see almost perfectly and that I also went right to work without having to miss a single day. Just about everybody finds that very impressing as that is on the top of almost everyone's list. It's then a matter of everyone to calculate for themselves how much they spend on glasses, contacts, etc. yearly and they can easily find out in how many years the operation will have paid for itself.

Recommending someone who to trust their eyes with is very difficult as everyone has different needs and expectations. I my case I needed to have this operation done as soon as possible, which for most people is not such a great factor. What is and important factor for just about everyone, and is something that your clinic has achieved with an A+, is the professional and friendly attitude towards your patients. After seeing first hand all that can go wrong in the Czech Health System, I am glad that this clinic is an example of all that can go right if there are good skilled people at the controls. This clinic has definitely impressed me and therefore I can recommend it to anyone.

If you are thinking of undergoing this operation because of personal, career, or for what ever other reasons I can surely guarantee that you will not regret it. My only regret is that I did not decide to do this earlier and that I waited till my career made the decision for me. Either way I am very happy that this technology exists in nowadays and it would definitely be a shame to not take advantage of this opportunity. Eyesight is the way we see the world and it is one of our most important senses and we should take good care of it as best we can.