An eye surgeon who has performed thousands of operations found himself on the other side of the operating table after discovering a blind spot in his right eye. Amir Hamid, 51, chief medical officer at Optegra, realised the symptom could indicate a detached retina and sought immediate treatment.
Within three hours of noticing the blank patch in his vision, Hamid underwent vitreo-retinal surgery on the same day. He said: 'I am very short-sighted, and a detached retina can be common in myopic eyes. We tend to have very big eyes, and the retina at the back of the eye is thinner at certain points.'
The surgery preserved his sight, but a cataract developed as a side effect within months, affecting his distance vision. As a surgeon working in a small space, Hamid could not afford impaired vision and arranged lens replacement surgery on his right eye, performed by colleague Alastair Stuart on December 19. They also operated on his left eye to eliminate his need for glasses.
After over 40 years of wearing glasses, Hamid was amazed by the results. 'I couldn't believe how crisp, how sharp and how colourful things were,' he said. 'Seeing is believing. It was great to be able to have an experience that I'm able to impart.'
