Hurler is celebrating new lease of life following laser eye surgery

Hurler is celebrating new lease of life following laser eye surgery

23 September 2015

HURLING has been a lifelong passion for 26 year-old Conor Woods.

Tinkering with his first hurl from just four years-old, he has since played for Ballycran GAC while also playing at county level for the past six years.

With Ballycran due to play their fiercest rival Ballygalget at the Down Senior Clubs Championship final next weekend, Connor is determined to be in top form.

And he hopes a recent operation to restore full vision after years of wearing glasses will 

help give him the edge on the sports field.

Conor recently joined a growing number of inter county hurlers who have had laser surgery to cure short-sightedness, a common condition that can be detrimental for those engaged in one of the fastest games in sport.

Before his surgery, the civil engineer was often at a disadvantage on the pitch as he was unable to clearly see what was going on among the other players.

Although he often wore contact lenses, he found these were problematic as grit or mud could get stuck behind the lens during a match or they could easily move leaving Connor with blurred vision.

“I have worn glasses since I was about 12 as I was struggling seeing things on the black and white boards,” he said.

“If I didn’t wear my contact lenses on the pitch I would struggle to see what was going on at the other end. It was definitely not ideal.

“But then wearing the contact lenses could be hard because a thump or a flick in the eye could make them move and that was uncomfortable. This was frustrating and time consuming.

“Since having the operation, I can move about freely during intense games and not worry about refocussing all the time. It is such a luxury not to have to put my glasses on every morning.

“I am performing better during hurling matches and don’t have to take time out to fix contacts.

“I have also felt more confident while playing hurling as I am not thinking about getting dirt in my contact lenses or even worse them falling out.’’

As the countdown begins to this weekend’s championship match against Ballygalget, Conor says he feels confident about his game thanks to his new-found good vision.

“We are training very hard and have not won a championship game since 2011 when we last played Ballygalget so there is a bit of pressure on,” he said.