All-Ireland Gaelic football winner Conor Gormley’s says his eyes have ‘sparked’ back into life after specialist laser eye treatement.
The 34-year-old electrician was having problems seeing his own players and opponents on the pitch during games.
And he even had problems with his night time driving around the country roads of Carrickmore, Co Tyrone.
But with the help of laser eye surgery at the Cathedral Eye Clinic in Belfast, Conor’s eyes are shining brightly again – just like his All-Ireland winning medals.
Known as ‘The Block From The Rock’, the 6ft centre back was one of Tyrone’s most celebrated players until he hung up his county boots in January this year.
These days the strapping player concentrates his efforts on the pitch for his home club of Carrickmore St Colmcille’s where he has helped them lift four Tyrone titles.
Since entering the footballing fray in 1997 aged just 17, Conor has played a big part in both club and county football.
He is a three-times All Ireland Senior Football Championship winner under manager Mickey Harte.
As well as winning the Sam Maguire three times, he was part of the Tyrone team which lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup on four occasions and also has three All Stars to his name.
But it hasn’t all been a bed of roses for the Carrickmore man on the field. He suffered pain and heartache in 2006 when he broke both his legs in a club game, leaving him sidelined for a year.
He made a full recovering the following year and was in position on the field turning in stunning performances each week that earned him a Gaelic Players Association award.
However, in recent times Conor says he found his eye sight had started to deteriorate both on and off the pitch.
He shared his problems with pal Dermot Carlin who told him to try out the CathedralEye Clinic in Belfast under the tutelage of renowned eye specialist Professor Johnny Moore.
Says Conor: “It got to the stage where I had trouble making out players in my team and also seeing the far side of the pitch.
“So I opted for a laser eye procedure with the thought that it would improve my vision and my performance.’’
And Professor Moore didn’t let Conor down on that score.
Added Conor: “It has had a positive effect on my life. It has helped me with driving, particularly at night time where I struggled with the glare from other car lights.
“After the laser eye procedure I quickly noticed that the glare from car lights doesn’t have the same effect which is great.
“While I was driving I would have great difficulty reading road signs. I would have to be within 50 yards of a road sign before I could read it.
“This was frustrating as I would often miss turns and make wrong turns because I couldn’t make them out from distance. I no longer have this issue now and driving is not such a struggle as it used to be.’’
On the pitch, Conor is now seeing team mates and opponents up close and personal and even far away in the distance.
“It took me a while to settle down. But after the recovery period I knew that my vision had been greatly improved.
“I could see players on the far side of the pitch and I could identify who my team mates were again. My improved vision seemed to have had a positive effect on my match performance.’’
He says was “very impressed’’ with the way he was treated by Cathedral Eye Clinic staff in Belfast.
“I was feeling quite anxious about the surgery at first. The people at CEC were very understanding and knowledgeable.
“They talked me through the whole process which made the overall experience more comfortable. ‘’
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