Eye surgery energises globe-trotting swimmer

Adventure-loving Sarah Canning’s life-changing eye surgery to correct her short-sightedness has opened a whole new world to her. 

Sarah, who works as an optometrist, has travelled the globe in pursuit of exciting activities that bring her closer to nature, but the myopia she’d had since the age of 10 was increasingly limiting her abilities. 

The turning point came in 2023 when she took part in the 15km Scilly Swim Challenge around the Isles of Scilly. During the swim, she found herself veering off course because she couldn’t see where she was going. 

Sarah is the lead optometrist at Newmedica Worcester, a sight-saving clinic specialising in treatments such as cataracts, glaucoma, oculoplastic and retinal conditions. 

With a big year of swim challenges planned for 2026, the 63-year-old spoke with clinic colleagues and decided to have lens replacement surgery, which involves removing the eye’s natural lens and replacing it with a synthetic prescription lens to correct a person’s sight. The procedure is similar to cataract surgery. 

She said: ‘The main impetus behind me having this surgery was my open-water swimming. My issue was that I was so dependent on glasses and contact lenses, but they weren’t compatible with my swimming, and I could never find a pair of prescription goggles that didn't leak. 

‘My myopia was so limiting when I was in the water, I couldn’t really see where I was going. I took part in the 15km Scilly Swim Challenge, but when you’re in the water and as short-sighted as I was, I ended up swimming far further than I needed because I kept going off course.  

‘I wanted to be able to swim confidently, and I thought that having my natural lenses replaced would also pre-empt the likelihood of getting cataracts when I’m older.  

‘It seemed like the sensible decision to make because it’s now given me a future without glasses and freed me up to pursue the active life I want.’ 

After having the lens replacement surgery, Sarah was able to fulfill one of her lifelong wishes of swimming with sea lions in the waters off the Galapagos Islands, where green sea turtles, marine iguanas and Galapagos penguins can also be seen. 

She now plans to follow this with three open-water events this summer – in Snowdonia and Devon – covering distances between 4km-10km. 

Sarah added: ‘Since the surgery, it’s given me an extra freedom. It’s been a revelation. I feel like I’ve had a barrier removed, which has made me feel younger and energised. It’s been life-changing.  

‘I wasn’t nervous before the surgery. Having seen so many patients before and after their surgery, I was fine. I was actually more intrigued to be a patient experiencing it.  

‘Having now undergone the procedure, I can speak with patients about my experience and reassure them if needed.’ 

Newmedica Worcester is owned and run by consultant ophthalmologists Mr Tarun Sharma, Mr Malcolm Woodcock, Mr Ranjit Nair, Mr Salman Mirza, Mr Tom Jackson and Mr Matthew Edmunds, as well as operations director Josh Raden. 

The clinic, based in Berkeley Business Park, offers private treatment and services on behalf of the NHS, helping to reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes. 

To learn more about the Newmedica Worcester clinic, go online at www.newmedica.co.uk/clinics/worcester