A visit to Utopia and the most modern eye clinic in the world

I arrived in Utopia after a 16-hour non-stop flight from New Orlando feeling unbelievably fresh. During the flight, I had slept, watched videos and even used the internet. I would have made phone calls, but for the cost which was a bit prohibitive. In any case, I had received e-mails through my notebook and replied as if I was in my office. What else was left for me to say?

Now, I was looking forward to the most traveller friendly international airport in the world. I wasn’t disappointed as I passed through the fastest, most pleasant and most friendly immigration desk I have ever encountered in any country I have ever visited.

Even though this was my second visit to Utopia, I saw considerable improvement since my last visit. I was held spellbound as I went through identification and immigration formalities all within two minutes. About 15 minutes later, I was in the comfort of my hotel room. I arrived to find my luggage already delivered and neatly stacked in the appropriate luggage compartment of my suite. It was an overwhelming experience.

The words of the pilot came rushing to my ears again, “You are one of the last set of passengers to fly in this aircraft to Utopia. From the next excursion, this time next month, we shall be flying in a new type of aircraft called the Jet-2Space liner.” The journey from Utopia to New Orlando will take less than one hour. I had asked through the pilot communication module how this would be achieved.

His reply was, “You wait and see.” I simply thought he was bluffing! The Concorde had been scrapped and to my knowledge, nothing new had been developed to take its place. Maybe I was wrong! I would take his advice and wait. After all one month was only 30 days away!

The following day, I decided to visit my colleague who had an eye clinic in the city. It was just three blocks away from my hotel. I decided to walk. I saw the beauty of technology in full display. What a marvel to behold! I couldn’t help but thank God for giving me eyes to see and appreciate the beauty of nature and how it could be manipulated to create a most exquisite environment. Have you been to Paradise before? This is Paradise!

As I got to the entrance of my friend’s eye clinic, “Come in Dr Ben,” a voice from nowhere commanded and the door swung open. I knew the secret, Iris recognition system at work again! There were no patients in sight and I asked the receptionist, “Where are the patients? My friend told me he ran a very busy clinic, seeing about 50 patients a day. Today is supposed to be his very busy day.” Before I could reply, a door swung open, “Good morning Ben. Come inside and let me show you the secrets and beauty of technology in my clinic,” my friend, Dr. Klee said cheerfully, announcing himself. We exchanged pleasantries.

I wanted to have a feel of some of the imposing gadgets in his office so I asked, “May I have a comprehensive eye examination.” He took me to the Computobiometer and asked me to look into it with both eyes. I had hardly spent two seconds staring down this awesome gadget when I heard the hissing sound of a printer. He reached out for the long printout and handed it to me. It bore my name and a lot more surprises! My visual acuity, corneal measurements; refraction with the corrections needed for distance and near were displayed.

Also on display were anterior chamber depth and intraocular pressure measurements, pupil size and the colour photograph of the inner chamber of my eyes. Below I could read the interpretation of the comprehensive examination. “Ben’s eyes are essentially normal. However, he needs to have a pair of glasses for both distance and near. Please, press this button if you want the glasses dispensed.”

I did. I was directed by a voice prompt to the frame section. I chose a spectacle frame and punched another button. In less than five minutes, I collected my brand new pair of glasses. I looked at my watch. From the beginning to the end, the whole process took less than seven minutes! No wonder the reception was empty.

To cap it all, Dr Klee informed me that the records of all findings had been stored electronically and could be accessed anywhere in the world. “Including Nigeria?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied if you have 24-hour electricity to run the system. My face fell! I asked for my bill. “It has been debited to your credit card,” he replied.