The birthday party had been an absolute explosion – from the beautiful location on the roof and endlessly flowing cocktails to a bonnisset performed by an eighties legend.
No wonder that when waking up the next morning, with a somewhat foggy curtain effect over my right eye, I just suspected that the mix of drinks and boogying was just his toll.
The effect is still difficult to explain, but it was as if I was wearing glasses with a spot of dirt covering the upper half of my vision in my right eye.
For a while I tried to rub my eye in the hope that it would disappear. And when the distorted vision did not immediately disappear, I rejected it as something that would pass with my hangover.
What I did not know was that this was in fact an urgent warning that my retina-the thin, light-sensitive layer behind the student who is vital to the vision was started to release itself. And that I could lose my vision without quick action.
Fortunately, fate intervened. Later that day lunch with my son, a young doctor, although not in ophthalmology – he insisted that every sudden change in vision had to be checked immediately.
I reluctantly called two very good friends of mine – an eye surgeon and his wife, an optometrist – to be reassured that their crazy friend had nothing but a hangover.
Less than 24 hours later I had a look in sight.
I was told that if I had postponed the treatment for longer, I could have become blind in my right eye.
Angela Epstein, depicted with her husband Martin. Only 24 hours after she called her two friends – an eye surgeon and his wife, an optometrist – she had a facial saving operation
After an evening of four and birthday drinks, Angela didn’t think much about the sudden vzondheid in her right eye and blamed it on a hangover
Of course, not everyone is lucky to have such strategically qualified beloved people. That is why it is vital to know the warning signals of a detached retina – a condition that affects almost 7,000 people in the UK every year.
Such signs include a significant and often sudden change in vision, explains Niall Patton, a leading adviser ortal mologist, cataract and vitreoretinal surgeon in the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the Wilmslow hospital, who carried out my emergency operation.
Floaters in the eye – small speckles that drift over your view – are not a reason for alarm in themselves. However, any strong increase in the number can be a warning signal.
That is also the seeing of flashy lights in the dark – say at night – as well as the ‘curtain’ effect that I have experienced. It is also important to be aware of risk factors.
“Retinal detachments are really rare under the age of 40 – the peak age seems to be 50 or 60,” explains Mr. Patton. ‘The vast majority of cases are also for those who are short -sighted or myopic. The religious mechanism is that the myopic eye is longer, so the length of the retina is stretched over a larger area. This makes it thinner and more likely to tear, which leads to a detachment. ‘
Earlier eye surgery can also increase the risk. The detachment itself usually happens when glassy jelly-like gel-like substance in the eye-spontaneous comes away from the retina, known as a rear ramping detachment.
The key is to be seen quickly, ideally within 24 hours, by an optometrist, says Jeff Kwartz, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.
‘It is vital to tackle detachment before the central vision area of the retina, the macular, is affected. In this early stage, the operation has a greater chance of saving this central vision, that is, detailed vision. ‘
It is vital to know the warning signals of a detached retina – a condition that affects nearly 7,000 people in the UK every year
The operation that I had taken was about 45 minutes and was performed under a combination of general sedation and local anesthesia around the eye.
The procedure included the removal of the glassy gel that had caused the tear. Patton then inserted an air bubble to make the layers of the retina back together and to flatten, so that the area is sealed with a laser.
After this he injected a gas bubble of gas known as SF6 to support the retina during healing.
Fortunately I slept all this. But in recovery I had to stay in a sitting, facial position for three hours (known as an attitude) to keep the gas bubble in place. Fortunately I had no pain – and my eye, although red, did not look so bad what it had experienced.
What was frightening was that I could not see anything – even up close. Instead, everything was faded, so panic started – after all, I could see before the operation.
Mr Patton, however, assured me that this was due to the gas in my eye and that my view would return as soon as it was spread. I just had to be patient.
After asking about a week when this could ever happen, I saw a bit of clarity at the top of my vision, as if I was peeking through a slatted blind.
And this expanded in the coming days.
Two weeks after the operation, the gas bell had disappeared – and my vision had returned. I was and was still overwhelmed by gratitude.
The success rate of a procedure such as mine, according to Mr. Patton, is 80 to 90 percent – so I am banking on these opportunities.
What I am 100 percent clear is to ensure that people know that sudden changes in vision should never be ignored. It can be nothing – but if it is something, acting could save your view quickly.
#blamed #blurry #eye #hangover #sign #problem #blinded #Dont #mistake #Angela #Epstein