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charge according to prescription. Compared to the price of a lifetime of glasses or lenses, which could reach as much as €37,000, laser eye treatment is a far better investment. Optilase is Ireland’s first independent Laser Eye Clinic and 100% Irish-owned. The clinic boasts three of Europe’s leading eye surgeons, as well as a team of over 30 experienced professionals, who are entirely dedicated to patient care and safety. 12 METRO Friday, May 30, 2008 D [email protected] So what’s Urban Life all about? URBAN Life is Metro’s innovative study of ‘Urbanites’ – young, full-time working professionals in Greater Dublin. Every year we research the opinions of 2,000 Metro readers, asking for their views on everything from current affairs to must- see movies. What do I get out of it? We’re giving away €27,000 in prizes – hundreds of €30 HMV vouchers and €1,000 in cash after each survey. If you complete five or more of our six surveys, you will be entered into our €3,000 prize draw. What’s involved? The survey is sent to Urban Life members every six to eight weeks. All surveys are online and only take 15 minutes. Sign me up now Visit www.myurbanlife.ie/join or FREE TEXT to 50400. Text TNS (space) first name (space) e-mail address to register your interest in taking part. By Karen Dunne WHILE most of us take our eye health seriously, it seems that, when considering permanent solutions to seeing life that little bit more clearly, we’re in the dark, according to new Urban Life figures. We asked more than 1,000 Urbanites – young professionals living and working in the city – about their eyes, and found that almost half are making the recommended number of visits to the opticians to get checked out and have prescriptions updated, and furthermore, that 68 per cent wear glasses or contact lenses. Despite being on the eyeball when it comes to regular checkups however, we’re a little bit fuzzy when it comes to understanding new technologies that can improve eyesight. A massive 38 per cent of us perceive laser eye surgery as more ‘fright for poor eyes’ (sorry) than a truly life-enhancing experience, with top concerns being: not knowing enough about it (13 per cent), fear of something going wrong (38 per cent) to one third asking ‘Am I bovvered?’ when it comes to researching the subject! Clare Hegarty, Head Optometrist with Optilase Eye Laser Clinic explains: ‘Hundreds of people could be missing out on having their vision corrected, simply because of a lack of accurate knowledge. ‘Laser eye surgery is an extremely safe procedure, with more than 15million procedures carried out worldwide. ‘Optilase has turned patients away as they were unsuitable for this procedure, so you can rest assured your eyes are in the safest possible hands.’ Our survey also revealed that a large percentage of people are of the opinion that laser eye surgery is out of their budget and are unaware Optilase offers transparent, affordable pricing and does not Urbanites fear looking at laser surgery in the eye ‘More than 15million procedures worldwide’ EVEN though summer is getting into full swing, a new survey has shown that almost half of Irish women questioned believe that clean, white teeth make a girl feel and look her best. Only six per cent said that applying fake tan makes them feel good – so the Oompa Loompa look is on the way out. The research, carried out by Wrigley’s Orbit Complete shows that a quarter of the women surveyed said they spend 62 per cent of their beauty budget on their teeth, with 40 per cent saying they can’t leave the house on a Saturday night without chewing gum and lip- gloss; 16 per cent won’t leave the house without a toothbrush and toothpaste. White better than orange
