A BRADFORD nurse says she had laser eye surgery as she treats patients with Covid.
Joanne Reynard, 50, who had been wearing glasses every day since the age of seven – and contact lenses while in the RAF as a nurse, decided to have the procedure at Optegra Eye Clinic in Leeds.
She said: “All the way through this pandemic, as an infection control nurse, I have been very conscious of touching my face and eyes – it’s the reason I stopped wearing contact lenses. But putting my glasses on and off all the time has been a real struggle.
“Covid as a virus is not going to jump onto people’s faces but the T-zone of eyes, nose and mouth is a high-risk area. Many people catch the virus through that area either because someone coughs or sneezes near you, or you touch something with the virus on and then rub your eyes or touch your face.
“This is a really important factor and as a nurse, working with Covid patients all week long, I was really very aware of not touching my face – but with my varifocal glasses, I was forced to put them on and off all day long. Plus with the additional protective glasses or visor – it was just too much steaming up and not being able to see well enough.
About her work, Jo says: “I am so pleased that we are now in the prevention phase, it is a privilege to help people with vaccinations, and I feel so much safer now that I am glasses and contact lens free.”
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