They've set their sights on success and are willing to go under anaesthetic to prove it. Thousands of Ireland’s amateur golfers, footballers, rugby players and hurlers are forking out up to €3,000 each for laser eye surgery — some of whom want to improve their vision beyond 20/20.

The sports enthusiasts are following in the footsteps of stars such as the golfer Padraig Harrington in a bid to improve their game. While the uncomfortable procedure is typically the domain of those eager to ditch their glasses or contact lenses, sportspeople are increasingly prepared to pay for good eyesight so they can gain a competitive advantage.

Many players of sports that require good distance vision, such as golf and shooting, are no longer content with their natural 20/20 vision. Instead, they are opting for new laser technologies to improve their sight to 20/10, helping them see greater distances than people with normal sight.

LaserVision, a clinic in Dublin, has treated 200 sportspeople in the past year, while the Wellington Eye Clinic, also in Dublin, which has performed the procedure on both Harrington and fellow golfer Paul McGinley, says about 10% of the 3,000 patients it has seen in the past year have requested the procedure to improve their sporting performance.

Optical Express has treated “thousands” for the same reason over the past year at its clinics in Dublin and Belfast.

Ophthalmic surgeons say customers are inspired by players such as Noel Hickey, the Kilkenny hurling star who had the procedure done in late 2005, and Ciaran Whelan, the Dublin midfielder — both of whom were correcting an eyesight problem and not seeking a competitive advantage. Arthur Cummings, a consultant ophthalmologist with the Wellington Eye Clinic, says Whelan underwent laser eye surgery at his clinic just a week before Dublin played Tyrone in Croke Park at the end of January during the GAA’s 125th anniversary celebrations.

“He got the surgery six weeks ago and there he was, playing a week later, when he shouldn’t have been,” Cummings said. “But he wanted it because he had been wearing contact lenses and when he fell over on the pitch and covered his eyes, people thought he was just mocking but he was really just protecting his eyes.

“Wearing contacts on the pitch can interrupt your game because they’re irritating and give you more glare. The surgery can improve night vision — especially useful when you are playing under spotlights.”

John Fenton, consultant ophthalmic surgeon with Laser-Vision, says his clinic has been “flooded” with golfers since Harrington won the Irish Open almost two years ago and went on to win the British Open two years in a row and the US PGA Championship last year.

Harrington had laser eye surgery in 2004 after discovering his dominant left eye was not as strong as it could be, despite having had the procedure in the UK just four years earlier. “None of us professional golfers want average, and I’m prepared to take a risk to get past average,” Harrington said.

McGinley — who also needed the surgery — said it improved his ability to see his way around the course. After surgery, he said that “the hole looks as big as a bucket”.

Fenton said: “It is in the nature of athletes to maximise their performance any way they can and they regard surgery as a way of enhancing their performance.”

Ophthalmologists say the performance of sports stars who have had the procedure shows it works. Before Tiger Woods had the surgery in 1999, he had lost 16 tournaments in a row. The surgery gave him 20/15 vision and he won seven of his next 10 competitions.

“I’ve treated a racing driver who wore glasses under his helmet that would shake when he reached certain speeds,” said Cummings. “He ranked eighth before the procedure and after won eight events and went on to win the championship.

“Footballers and rugby players tell us it gives them a wider range of vision on the pitch and enables them to better follow the flight of a ball.”

Some commentators in America have questioned why athletes with near-perfect eyesight who get laser surgery are not considered to be cheating, in the same way as those who use performance-enhancing drugs.

Paul McDermott, a spokesman for the Irish Sports Council, said the ISC had not considered the impact the procedure has on performance but pointed out it is not against the rules for any professional athletes to have laser eye surgery.

He said: “In a high-performance sport, tiny incremental improvements at the top level can make a huge difference. Improving eyesight fits into that search for perfection.

“Is it over the line? Well, it’s not on any list of prohibitive substances that physically aid performance.”

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