So there I was on Saturday, sitting quietly in the Canal & River Trust marquee at Crick Boatshow, helping blow up balloons with a helium canister when I noticed a number of 'floaters' in my right eye. I asked a number of people to take a look and nothing could be seen from the outside but from the 'inside' it was like a cobweb between me and the outside world. I went to first aid who, like my friends, could see little out of order.
On the way home my friend Vicky decided that we should go via Northampton General Hospital as the sight out of my right eye was 'like looking through a frosted glass window'. We discovered on arrival at NGH that they had an Eye Emergency department which we went to. It was just being locked up for the evening but they very kindly opened it up again for me and called in the 'on call' doctor.
The doctor's diagnosis was that I had a 'horseshoe' tear in the retina of my right eye. He asked me to return on the Sunday morning. On the Sunday, try as he might, Dr Deol (who's mother I worked with in BA - what a small world) was unable to seal the tear so I was given an appointment at the Oxford University Hospital (John Radcliffe - OUH) Eye Emergency department for the Monday morning.
I was somewhat anxious when I arrived (courtesy of my friend Steve) but they were expecting me and made me feel less anxious and 'at home'.
During the next three hours I had the tear lasered but they couldn't do it all so I had a have a small operation (local injections in my eye) to freeze the remaining edges of the tear - I think the procedure is called Retinal Cryopexy.
My eye is now bright red (blood) and vision from it still somewhat blurred but am told that will improve slowly. I have an appointment to return to NGH on Thursday 9-June for a review.
I must say the treatment I received both at NGH and OUH was nothing short of outstanding.
My friend Steph popped in this morning to administer my eye drops and says my eye looks much better this morning (Tuesday 31-May).
There's a very good video about Retinal Cryopexy here.
Why does it happen - well the simple answer is that it just does! I am predisposed to it in my right eye because I am short sighted to the extent of -2.75 (anything above -2 is susceptible) and I am over 60 - not much I can do about either. My vision, which is very blurry in my right eye at the moment, will, I am told, return to 'normal' over the coming weeks although I may lose a little peripheral vision when looking downwards - that means I won't see my tummy sticking out! There's a very good explanation here.
I was somewhat anxious when I arrived (courtesy of my friend Steve) but they were expecting me and made me feel less anxious and 'at home'.
During the next three hours I had the tear lasered but they couldn't do it all so I had a have a small operation (local injections in my eye) to freeze the remaining edges of the tear - I think the procedure is called Retinal Cryopexy.
My eye is now bright red (blood) and vision from it still somewhat blurred but am told that will improve slowly. I have an appointment to return to NGH on Thursday 9-June for a review.
I must say the treatment I received both at NGH and OUH was nothing short of outstanding.
My friend Steph popped in this morning to administer my eye drops and says my eye looks much better this morning (Tuesday 31-May).
There's a very good video about Retinal Cryopexy here.
Why does it happen - well the simple answer is that it just does! I am predisposed to it in my right eye because I am short sighted to the extent of -2.75 (anything above -2 is susceptible) and I am over 60 - not much I can do about either. My vision, which is very blurry in my right eye at the moment, will, I am told, return to 'normal' over the coming weeks although I may lose a little peripheral vision when looking downwards - that means I won't see my tummy sticking out! There's a very good explanation here.
