A leading London eye surgeon with over a decade of experience found himself in the patient's chair after a sudden symptom threatened to rob him of his sight.
From surgeon to patient: A sudden blind spot
Amir Hamid, 51, the chief medical officer for the eye hospital group Optegra, has personally performed more than 10,000 cataract and laser eye surgeries. Yet in July of last year, his professional expertise took on a deeply personal meaning.
"I noticed that there was a blank patch in the field of vision in my right eye and immediately realised that it could be the start of a detached retina," Amir explained. A detached retina, where the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye pulls away, is a medical emergency requiring swift treatment to prevent permanent vision loss, as noted by the NHS.
Being severely short-sighted, Amir knew he was at higher risk. "We tend to have very big eyes, and the retina is thinner at certain points," he said. "This means the fluid inside the eye can detach more easily and pull on the retina, causing a tear."
Swift action and a double surgery
His quick recognition of the symptoms meant he received vital vitreo-retinal surgery on the very same day. "Within three hours, I was scheduled for surgery on my right eye," he recalled. Fortunately, the tear was slow-moving and did not affect his central vision, allowing treatment to preserve all of his sight.
However, a common side-effect of such retinal surgery is the accelerated development of a cataract. For Amir, this occurred within months, not years. By November, his distance vision in the right eye had deteriorated. As a surgeon who operates in a space of just two by ten millimetres, perfect vision is non-negotiable. "I couldn’t wait for my vision to be impaired before I did something about it," he stated.
On 19 December, just before Christmas, he underwent cataract surgery on his right eye at the Optegra Hospital in Hampshire, performed by his colleague Alastair Stuart. Seizing the opportunity, they also performed lens replacement surgery on his left eye, freeing him from glasses after over 40 years.
A life-changing result and a vital warning
"The next day my eyesight got even better. I couldn’t believe how crisp, how sharp and how colourful things were," Amir said. "Seeing is believing. It was a real full-circle moment." The results have transformed both his professional precision and his personal life, from playing with his seven-year-old daughter without fear of breaking glasses to perfecting his culinary plating in an online cooking group.
Now, he is using his experience to urge vigilance. "You certainly shouldn’t ignore the symptoms of retinal detachment, because it can lead to loss of vision," he warned. Key signs include sudden flashes of light, a shower of floaters, or a dark curtain moving across your field of vision.
He has also noted a rise in patients with advanced cataracts since the pandemic and emphasises the importance of regular eye tests. "Sometimes people are scared and try and deny that they have a problem," he said. "Remember that it’s always better to have a diagnosis, because then we know how we can fix it."
