Trevor Gamble, who was involved in the tourism industry for more than 50 years, had an operation in Queenstown on Monday by Auckland eye surgeon Dean Corbett.
Dr Corbett arranged the surgery when it became too difficult to get it done without travelling out of the Queenstown Lakes area.
The operation to reduce the intraocular pressure on his eyes was needed as Mr Gamble, 85, was going increasingly blind and his wife Heather, 79, did not want to drive all the way to Invercargill for surgery.
Dr Corbett told the Otago Daily Times last week his patients in Queenstown were hit by the "postcode lottery" in the southern region for ophthalmology services and there was an inequity of access for those in the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes area.
Dr Corbett had taken over ophthalmologist services in Queenstown from Dr John Bowbyes, who retired late last year. Dr Bowbyes had a contract with Health New Zealand — Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) to work with public patients. Dr Corbett wanted to run the same service but was told by HNZ it would not provide funding.
Dr Corbett performed the procedure on Monday and the Gambles were back home yesterday enjoying life again.
Mr Gamble said although he would never regain full eyesight, it would not get any worse after the operation.
"It used to be if I was looking at the TV and the windows were beside it I could not tell the difference. It is going to take a while and it will never get back to what it once was but it will relieve the pressure on the eyes," he said.
His sight started getting worse about six years ago and though he had visited Dunedin and Southland Hospitals nothing could be done and his sight continued to get worse.
"I was delighted with the way everything went — and to be able to get it done in Queenstown."
The couple could not afford health insurance, they said.
Dr Corbett had said the operation usually cost $6000 but through donated time and equipment it cost only $1400. The Southern Cross Hospital board agreed to reduce its fees on a cost-only basis.
HNZ southern operations group director Hamish Brown said it had not withdrawn any funding of the service but was looking at how it would provide future care in Otago.
