Eye health foresight pays off was off to see Dr Polkinghorne for a consultation. [image 2].
Practice manager at Howick Village Optometrists, Frith Jenkins is accustomed to supplying vision solutions to clients but when she was faced with an operation to repair a macular hole in her own eye, the experience turned out to be very different from what she imagined. Working in the health industry can have good and bad points. One of the good points is making sure you have regular eye examinations. Another good thing is working for a business which believes in constantly updating and acquiring equipment to further enhance the practice and give the optometrists the ability to diagnose potential conditions. In 2012 Howick Village Optometrists purchased an OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomographer) and I offered myself up as a guinea pig for the practice scans. There were three optometrists in the room with me and when the image came on screen I had all three craning forward then muttering, “Mmmm, what’s that?” [image 1]. Now talk about, ‘right place right
time!’ It turns out I had a macular hole slowly developing. Something that would not have been noticed by me for some time but, with the OCT, it was detected and information forwarded immediately to an ophthalmologist for an opinion and further consultation. The macular is located at the back of the eye and when it is not working correctly it affects the central vision. I am rather partial to being able to see and, of course, started thinking of all the worst scenarios. My ophthalmologist Dr Philip Polkinghorne wrote back saying we wouldn’t need to do anything at present but told me to monitor the macular regularly by self-checking with an Amsler grid and of course by utilising the OCT machine.
IMAGE 1
It was decided that I would need a vitrectomy, a bit of laser and a gas bubble inserted. It is always good to discuss the process and any side effects of any surgical procedures. The surgery itself was amazing. I was conscious throughout (with sedative) and could see everything happening. We all tend to forget that the eye is an organ and is very sensitive and extremely valuable.
IMAGE 2
IMAGE 3
I did as advised. Then, towards the end of 2014 the OCT scans were showing significant changes so it
All went well with the surgery [image 3] and, now, several months later I am still monitoring my vision with the OCT and regular specialist appointments. My vision has been affected and it will be several more months before I can look at new lenses and better vision. I cannot stress how grateful I am to work where people matter and where the health of the eye is just as important, if not more so, than those things we can actually see.
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eastlife | february 2015 |
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