Sunday, February 15, 2015

Second Eye Operation

I went back to Harley Street for my second operation on Friday the 13th – not an auspicious day if you believe in that nonsense. This time I took a camera in the hope of getting some shots of the procedure, so be warned if you’re squeamish – the shot of me in a hair net is quite horrible.


When I arrived there I was still slightly worried about the cloudiness in the eye that had been operated on. I use the word ‘cloudiness’ rather than ‘blur’ because it wasn’t as if I was straining to focus but to see through a dirty glass. After a chat with my surgeon Mr Samer Hamada (a guy whose letters after his name are about twice as long as his name) and his inspection of my eye, I felt reassured. Swelling from the surgery causes astigmatism until it goes down and there are also debris in the eye that take a while to clear. Sometimes these debris stick to the lens but can be quickly cleared at a later date with what’s called a YAG laser – this takes just a few minutes.


Also noticeable during this consultation was when he checked what I could read on a card. I could read even some of the small print not commonly used. The vision in that eye is improving daily.


Anyway, after a bit of a wait I had the drops in my second eye then, after a further wait went into surgery. I handed the camera over to one of the nurses and climbed onto the surgical table. Same procedure as before, obviously, though slightly different pains and lots more fluid squirted in. Maybe he was making sure to be rid of as much of the debris as possible.


Afterwards my vision had improved noticeably – there certainly didn’t seem to be any of the cloudiness as from the first operation. I went home, put my eye drops in then later found myself even able to read the text on my Ipad without strain. I later went to bed with two eye shields on and looking like a bug.


The next day things were a bit blurry but I didn’t let it worry me. I took a train into London yet again for an inspection at the Optimax clinic in Finchley Road. Everything was still looking good. This morning I’ve seen another improvement and suspect that the slight blurriness I now have is due to the scotch I drank last night rather than the surgery.


Later I’ll try to find a video animation I watched in the clinic yesterday showing in detail the procedures I’ve undergone. Can’t find it at the moment.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

That second-to-last photo could be used as cover art on one of your books, Neal!

Conan the Librarian™ said...

Just started 'Dark Intelligence'. Don't suppose you can see in infrared or ultraviolet yet?

Ah well...

Neil said...

You are right, the photo of the hair net was truly horrific.

Good news on the eyes, which must be a relief, regardless of the all the assurances you will have been given.

Miles Campbell said...

Hi Neal, hope you are well on the road to recovery. Found this website and thought you might like some SF/military tech art to look at once your eyes have healed. Saw this and thought of Tigger.

http://www.kollected.com/Rise-of-the-Machines

Loved Dark Intelligence btw. Looking forward to the next installment.

Geoffrey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Geoffrey said...

Oh I wish I had read this BEFORE your operation. Anyway, in a past life I worked for NASA at GSFC in the Laser Remote Sensing Laboratory. Part of the requirements for me to be in those lab spaces was a full regimen of photonics safety training - anything you wanted to know about how (not) to hurt yourself or equipment with a laser... or incidentally not destroy that fancy new $250,000 laser.

Well, the upshot is that the instructors and the doctors who examined me for my periodic macular health baseline exam (in the event I burned my eye out they want to be sure it wasn't already burned out I suppose) all said to never let anyone point a laser in your eye for any reason. Medical or otherwise. Could be hoo-ha - I don't know for sure - but being 47 myself with degrading eye sight I would love to get such an operation done but the brain washing is too strong.

That said everyone who I know who gets this sort of thing done says it is great, so I hope the same for you. I am such a Luddite in this manner I suppose.

Unknown said...

Halfway through Dark Intelligence. I am rationing the pleasure.
I have to say, the writing is both more assured, and deeper, imho. There is a serious feeling of menace to the scenes where people are dealing with events, ( in that they really don't just seem to be going through "plot advancing motions" AT ALL ! ! ! and any of them might fall into a hole . . . or grinder, at any moment ) in a way I have not felt in your stories since the horribly scary ( at least to me personally ) scenes of the initial confrontation between HumanityandtheirAIs and the Prador. Those scenes made my Star Trek heart cringe and wither and whimper. Hahaha, good times. :)

That photo of you looking up from a field of blue, scalpel foreground is VERY Terry Gilliam. :O
Thank you so much for your writing. :)

Neal Asher said...

Morgan - when I start writing horror.

Conan, I wish. Maybe later when they start introducing lenses with some extra tech included.

Neil, yes, plenty of assurances but I'm always aware I'm being sold something.

Miles, yes, very much like Tigger.

Geoffrey, no lasers have touched my eyes yet, maybe just that YAG laser later. And I do wonder about the effect on the rods and cones in my optic nerve etc.

uncletigger, I guess my writing is improving. It bloody well ought to after getting on for 2 million published words.