Dear All,
Today I took Mutti/Grandma to the eye clinic at Blakelands Hospital, really
convenient for me, plenty of free parking, a pleasant building with comfy
chairs and friendly staff.
(We also went back to my house for a cuppa and cake afterwards which made a
nice outing for her. She was very cheerful and chatty.)
This appointment came about because Mutti saw an optician at the care home
and they referred her via the GP as they were concerned that her sight had
got worse.
A nurse gave Mutti a normal eye test. She was fine reading even quite small
letters at a distance with her right eye but when she tried with her left
eye she couldn't read even the largest letters. (This was without glasses.)
The nurse then put eye drops in which stung a lot and we waited for them to
take effect before seeing the Consultant, Mr Kumar.
He examined her eyes and confirmed that her left eye is now very weak.
She has had macular degeneration in the left eye for a long time and back in
May 2019 we went to the RVI in Newcastle to check this out; they were happy
that the condition was still "dry", not "wet".
Since that date Mutti has another condition in the left eye which can happen
after cataract surgery.
When the cataract was removed it was replaced with an artificial lens
implant in the same bag (or capsule) that held the natural lens in place.
Apparently some of the lens cells left in the capsule can grow back which
thickens or wrinkles the capsule and cause problems like blurred vision.
Hence Mr Kumar has recommended something called a YAG Capsulotomy. This is
a simple, painless laser procedure which can be carried out at Blakelands
and an appointment will be sent out for a date in a few weeks' time. I will
take her of course.
If any of you wish to read the leaflet I have been given please ask, or you
can just google.
If Mutti didn't have this her sight in the left eye would get even more
blurred. It can't be rectified by new glasses alone.
There is a 1/100 chance of the procedure not improving things but Mr Kumar
seemed to think it would be a good idea to go ahead.
Please let me know if you are not happy about this.
I now have a four page form to fill in about Mutti's medical history!
Glenys/Mum.
