That's medical terminology for removing a cataract and implanting a new permanent lens. (see also Day surgery sketching at Moorfields Eye Hospital).
I'm very pleased to say I'm infection free, inflammation free and the 19 eye drops a day have now been reduced to 12! Plus I can now read easily to the second to bottom line on the eye chart and today I drove again for the first time in weeks and weeks. Big mistake - I totally forgot about the dilating drops and had to get "he who must not be bored while I sketch" to come to where I'd parked the car and drive me and the car back home again!
Subject to my check-up at the end of June, I should be able to get new glasses for reading and the computer and get back to normal activities At the moment I'm having to limit the use of my eyes for reading/computer use. Instead I'm watching rather a lot of television with my brand new better than normal eyesight for longer distances! Come July, everything will be back to normal - as in normal about 25 years ago!
 |
| Moorfields outreach service at Mile End Hospital - Waiting in reception 8" x 10", pen and ink and coloured pencils copyright Katherine Tyrrell |
My clinic is held at a local surgical centre on the Mile End Hospital site. It's just one of the 19 outreach sites Moorfields Eye Hospital has around London. These enable people living all over London to get treatment and monitoring and follow-up care without having to travel to the main hospital on City Road.
I have to say this has been one of the very best experiences of NHS care I've ever had. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as it is a postgraduate teaching hospital! I certainly wasn't in the least bit surprised to see from the website that the hospital has just had an excellent report after a surprise inspection by the Care Quality Commission.
If you live in London (or elsewhere in the UK if you have an uncommon eye condition) and need your eyes sorted out see if you can get your GP to refer you to Moorfields!
So glad to hear it's all going well.
ReplyDeleteHi I am going with my daughter to have a cateract removed on Wednesday. Due to existing eye condition of subluxed lenses she will not have replacement lens. Thanks for your blog. I feel a wee bit less anxious now. She has been advised to have someone to drive her home. I guess public transport is out due to dust etc. I hope I am OK driving in London. Should be OK if I update my sat nav. We are travelling from Worcester.
ReplyDeleteIf you've never driven in London before you may well find it a bit of a shocker - both in terms of the quantity of traffic, how long it takes to get places and the fact there's nowhere to park when you get there! Your main problem is very definitely going to be parking - there is no car park at the hospital and while there may be some near by they may also be full because the hospital is on the edge of the penalty charge zone and the City of London.
DeleteWhat I would suggest you think about doing is coming down to a station which has a line coming into one of the main London stations and then catch a taxi to and from there. Moorfields is not that far from Liverpool Street, Kings Cross and Euston. You need to check a map to see.
Public transport is fine - the eye will be covered with a dressing and an eye shield after the operation. You just need to have somebody with you because it's difficult to judge distances and use stairs when you just have one eye and you need to avoid knocks so somebody walking on the "eye" side would be helpful.
I went home on a bus ( a journey of about 45 minutes) two hours after the time I went down to the operating theatre!