Blindness

My name is Michael Nsiambuadi. I was born on the 11th of March 1946 in Ghana, and I came to the United Kingdom in 1972. I've lived here ever since. I've got a family of two girls, one is Los Angeles, one in UK, Richmond, and that's the way it has been all along. I'm a trained accountant. I also did a lecture in Thames Valley Uni, West Thames College, that and I retired 2007 and when I retired it was my intention that I'll go back home to Ghana to live and as soon as I retired the following week or shall we say the following month I was diagnosed of problems in my sight. It was there from the beginning, I didn't notice. I realized that when I went to my optician in Cheswick, he told me that my eye pressure is so high if I don't take them I'm going to be blind. At that time I never took any serious note because I could see, I could read, I could do any of these things. And then it was on 2010 that things began to get worse, and that is how it has been up to this point. The first experience that I will talk about is that I went to the Western Eye Hospital. They told me that I was going to be assessed, And so what I did was called me in for an assessment to see if my system was ready for the operation and I was successful and I was admitted on a particular day and it took me and the operation was successful. At that time that's what I would say it was successful but after some few months it got worse. The left eye got worse and I haven't been able to have my sight back ever since. At the moment, only one eye has got a good vision, the right eye, and that's what it is. But my admission at the hospital was fine. I was scared because I don't like going to hospitals, to be honest. But it was successful and they were very friendly with me. And it has been so ever since. Yeah, there's one thing I noticed. But I don't know how to put it. But it was so unexpected. I thought it was just a simple straightforward cataract operation when he told me. By then, it wasn't, it was more of a tube implant because a tube was put into the top part of my eyes so that when there's tears or any water flow, it can go through and come out. Otherwise, it gets collected in the eye and that is what creates the pressure. And so it took me much time to accept the operation, more than I thought. I thought it was a straightforward cataract operation, but it wasn't. I actually went into a surgery and a tube was implanted in my eyes. Yes, if I were to relive it again, I think anyone who is going to the hospital must ask a lot of questions. It's important to assume that what you think is going to be done is just straightforward. I think a lot of questions must be asked, but it's unfortunate because if you're a patient, don't know more about your illnesses, so it's difficult to sort of ask the questions you want to see, but if I were to go back to the hospital or to be to go through the experience of operation, I will ask a lot of questions about my illnesses. The doctors usually give you a form to complete, it's signed here, and this This is done usually when you are in the operation or about to go to the operation table, whereas I think it's important, important, more questions, more questions before you go under the operation.