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Dougie has his laser sights set on new Scots glory
 
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Dougie with the Calcutta Cup after Scotland's 2006 win against England
Dougie with the Calcutta Cup after Scotland's 2006 win against England
 
DOUGIE is keen to keep on scoring tries and opted for laser eye surgery. It can correct short or long sight or astigmatism and is the world's most common planned surgery.<br>A laser cuts a flap in the cornea, the clear covering over the iris, permanently changing its shape.<br>The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has seen complications in less than 5% of cases but in 2004 the NHS decided not to offer the surgery because of the risks.</br>
DOUGIE is keen to keep on scoring tries and opted for laser eye surgery. It can correct short or long sight or astigmatism and is the world's most common planned surgery.
A laser cuts a flap in the cornea, the clear covering over the iris, permanently changing its shape.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has seen complications in less than 5% of cases but in 2004 the NHS decided not to offer the surgery because of the risks.
 

by Sarah Swain

A RUGBY player has his sights set on returning to the national squad after six minutes of surgery which changed his life.

Glasgow Warriors hooker Dougie Hall has had a laser eye op to correct his short sight.

And he says no longer having to worry about getting his contacts knocked out on the field has already set him on the road to regaining his place in the Scotland squad.

He's just been picked for a tour of Argentina next month with the national team.

The surgery could be the push he needs to return to form after a series of injuries put him out last season and left his Scotland hopes in tatters.

Dougie, 27, said: "When you are playing at the top of your game little things can make a difference.

"I have had contacts knocked out during the games as many as three times. The ref will stop for you to put them back in but it's not always a good time.

"When there's howling wind and rain coming down, it's not good."

Dougie decided to have the £3000 surgery in London's Harley Street while he was off with a knee injury.

It took just three minutes per eye to correct his short sight and he now has perfect 20/20 vision.

He was back on the Rugby field with the Warriors in two and a half months.

He said: "I was surprised at how little it hurt. It was no worse than having a bit of sand in your eye. The worst thing was the smell of burning. But my wife Catherine came and was able to watch it on a TV in the next room and she said it was horrendous!

"I went back to the hotel and slept and then I was able to watch TV without glasses or contact lenses for the first time in 10 years."

Dougie, who lives in Hyndland, first got glasses when he was 10 and switched to contacts aged 15 when he found he could no longer play rugby well without his glasses.

After playing for Scotland's under 19s and under 21s he went on to win his first Scotland cap in 2003 and starred in both of Scotland's Murrayfield victories in the 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship against France and England.

Playing hooker, he finds himself in the heart of the action in the scrum. And as the season draws to a close, with the Warriors set to finish at least fifth in the Magners League, he's got nothing to hold him back.

He said: "It has improved my game so much. I just want to get myself back into the Scotland team - and help Glasgow Warriors become the best team in Scotland."

You can see Dougie and his team mates back in action at their Firhill stadium in the autumn.

Publication date 09/05/08
Posted by: hightower, glasgow on 11:31am Fri 9 May 08
this makes the news? i dont know
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Posted by: weegielady, glasgow on 7:54pm Sat 10 May 08
well am a specky git myself, and i went in to visionexpress last month to enquire of this laser surgery. as I read an advert 'from 695 per eye' it enticed me in.

as I am only very slightly short sighted myself, it would be a piece of **** to sort me out, but i got the speel and patter and it was evident that it wasn't '£695' per eye now, as from £1400 it had jumped to £895 per eye( that figure 1st figure was crap to get you through the door) they bombarded me with phone calls and were determined to get me this advanced thingy bob but i was telling the guy, 'erm, am on benefits, i was going to borrow £500 off my mum and use my visa for rest'(I can take £100 max on it). or pay it up, but the fees were rising so i didnt go back. it was specky git overkill.


i'd rather prefer to read plain boring news with a happy ending I suppose, as opposed to reading bad stuff, ie women stabbed for 50p 'is that aw yer geing me ?' and as I hate fitbaw and fed up, no harm to any gers fans, but there is a dedicated sports segment here, but the football bumf is the main headlines in the news articles, what is current in glasgow is what I like to read about.

Sometimes there is no news, LOL,you watch telly and its some old biddy turning 100 and the camera crew show up and video her party, slabbering into her cake and reading her message fae the queen, toothless and wi no a clue who they all are, and then back to the studio, for 3 minutes of the weather, and finally some story about some who worked the curtains in the Pavillion theatre died today aged 89 and they knew the Krankies since Jimmy was at primary school lol that is when you just know that no much happened in Glasgow!


* the above tales were for example only and based purely on ficticious persons and scenarios because am bored out ma nut lol*
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Posted by: weegielady, glasgow on 8:00pm Sat 10 May 08
oops i meant to say optical express same difference not visionexpress, if there is a company called that they may well be same mob anyway, but they did the hard sell

wish i had been able to afford it, look at how dougies life has changed completly the disadvantages of specs is obvious, no able to see anyone if you go swimming! blind as a bat , worrying about specs breaking on you, they steam up in rain, you got to wipe them for fingermarks, no one can see my nice eye make up, and no being able to drive without specs on.

if any rich person wishes to treat this really nice, really skint, really fed up being specky, lone mum on the brew to a free session of laser therapy then get in touch :-)

lol maybe i can take up womens rubgy after?
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