"Eyemazing …."

Very recently received cataract treatment on my other eye ............. and the early results look set to replicate those for the first op on my right eye; vision with a natural feel for all situations other than some close up tasks in modest light and necessitating reading glasses.

One op was carried out at the Hallamshire, and the other op at Weston Park; both sets of staff working well as a team on each occasion. The teamwork manifests itself in many ways but one reassuring aspect is that the treatment procedure includes checks at all stages to ensure that the correct eye is addressed. Another example was unusual in that the appointment for the second op was in the afternoon, an afternoon that followed some earlier traffic chaos in the City Centre due to a fire. This prompted some firefighting where I was ………… the ward staff cheerfully responding to the task of battling to overcome the disruptions caused to the ward’s treatment schedule for the day.

As might be expected, there was much similarity between the two operations but the main difference perhaps worth noting is that the much deeper head pillow used in the second operation provided welcome assistance re keeping my head still. This issue also links to another aspect. As a suggestion, the advice given to the patient to “look at the light” during the surgical procedure should be reviewed to recognise that at various times the number of lights seen by the patient varies - sometimes three, more often two, occasionally one, sometimes none, and sometimes a “black hole” where one of the lights was! Visually locking onto one of the lights and then it disappearing is not helpful to maintaining a steady head position! It is in this context that the deeper head pillow is doubly useful!

Despite being on my third bus pass, the excision of my cataracts has been my first experience of being treated in a hospital. The experience has been thoroughly reassuring throughout and the optical results have exceeded my expectations. Many thanks to all the staff in Ophthalmology, and perhaps especially to the very engaging surgeon that fortuitously carried out both operations.