Short-sighted journalist Sarah Gunthardt has set herself free from a life of blurred vision, glasses and contact lenses after undergoing laser eye surgery.

Despite having a fear of hospitals, the Peterborough Evening Telegraph business editor plucked up the courage to receive the treatment and said the ability to see clearly unaided felt like a miracle.

Sarah, who has worn glasses since she was a teenager, said that she never got used to wearing specs and always felt like they were a barrier between her and the outside world.

She said: “I wasn’t wearing jam jar specs but I wore glasses all day for work and contact lenses for things like nights out.

“I covered the opening of the Optimax Clinic in the summer and they were really pleased with it. They noticed that I wore glasses and invited me back for the surgery.”

Reviewing her treatment in the Evening Telegraph, Sarah (pictured) said: “Each of my eyes were clamped open wide, which is a weird sensation in itself. I was advised against blinking during the procedure, but with the clamps on that is virtually impossible in any event!

“I had anaesthetic drops put into my eyes which made my vision blur and was told to keep still and look straight ahead at the orange light above me.

“The most off-putting part of the procedure was when I could see a specially designed instrument, which seemed like a blunt-ended scalpel, coming towards my eye to gently separate the epithelium from the underlying corneal layer without cutting into the eye.

“It was completely pain-free at the time. Then, gradually, the lasering began. I heard a strange crackling noise and the assistant was counting numbers down to Dr Oberholster and then the laser was applied to reshape the cornea and correct my prescription.

“This smelt like fried eggs burning on the stove and made me feel quite nauseous.”

Sarah said she spent the first night after the surgery in “considerable pain” and the following morning struggled to even open her eyes.

She said: “They had swollen up and had gone into retreat which was extremely frightening. I was taken back to the clinic to get checked over but was assured the procedure had been a success.”

Less than 72 hours after the treatment, Sarah’s protective contact lens bandages were removed.

She said: “I was quite worried at how blurred my vision seemed to be once the bandages were removed but was assured they would become clearer in the coming weeks.

“My patience paid off. Every day I could see an improvement and when I returned to the clinic for the check-up two weeks later my vision had already reached the driving standard in one eye, and far beyond in the other eye – which was a great relief.

“Slowly over the weeks my vision has got better and better and I now feel extremely happy with my eyesight – I work in a large open-plan office and feel I can see even better now than I ever could with my glasses on.”

Sarah said she is particularly enjoying being able to see the other end of the pool when she goes swimming and is planning to buy herself a pair of trendy sunglasses for the summer…

She said: “My days of having to pack contact lenses, sunglasses, prescription sunglasses and ordinary sunglasses for holidays are now a thing of the past.”