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This blog captures the life experiences of the Enigmatic India team in the beautiful and enigmatic country of India.We capture our experiences through our writings, photos and products that depict the very essence and fabric of India.Through this platform, we invite you to join us in our journey as we explore.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Going under the knife - Eye Surgery

As I sat in the hospital waiting for my turn, I wondered this was for the third time that I was going under the knife and that too voluntarily.

The first two times were involuntary rather, left without any choice due to circumstances. The first one when I was very young around 5-6 yrs when a security guard at my place accidently fired a pistol and the bullet grazed my right eye. I was operated it took me almost a month to recover...lucky me...survived as the bullet didnot deviate by 1-2 mm. The second one was when I was playing football, and got hit by the football in the left eye and alongwith that an iron particle got embedded, which had to be operated.

Now after three decades(grown quite old so soon), I decided to get my left eye corrected for DVD(not that one that you see -rather a medical phenomena Disocciated Vertical Displacement). To put in simple terms my left eye used to move up vertically leading me to see two images. This lead my brain to correct(rather mess-up) my head posture by tilting it to the right over 3 decades, so that both the images converge into one. My wife, family and even my
nephew and niece have made fun of me...some calling me "Theda Mama"(translated from Hindi- tilted uncle). What ultimately happened is that, this titling of the head has lead to cervical
spondylitis and un-necessary problems for me.

What I read in medical literature is that DVD may be infantile, however given that I was born almost 4 decades ago, the doctors in my hometown Cuttack, India probably didnot think of checking such a thing. Such DVD normally is corrected during the early years of life...however I couldnot have changed the past and hence decided to go ahead with my third but voluntary eye surgery...for DVD.

The operation/surgery was called "Anterior Transposition of the Inferior Oblique Muscle (Myectomy)" - sounds horrible like any medical terminology. My eye surgeon, an elderly gentleman re-assured me that this surgery is done in the periphery of the eye and will not affect vision. He was quick to add that the correction may be 80-90% and not 100%. I did some back ground check about him through my cousins(a whole family of doctors that too
ophthalmologists) and was given assurance that my eye surgeon was a good person to go ahead with.

Well, let me come back to the day operation - with family and a couple of friends beside me I was waiting to be called into the OT(Operation Theatre). The eye surgeon met me and asked a question - "Sandip is it the right or the left eye", shocking question to be asked before you enter an OT...then realized maybe he was joking. And there before my eyes was the OT with a narrow bed(just enough for someone like Kareena Kapoor-Hindi movie heroine to fit in), and so many equipments, monitors etc. Someone came and tied something to my head - a green colored cloth and I was asked to lie-down. No issues till that point..my heart was pounding...obviously man...it was a question of my eye.

Then a gentleman draped in green(not sure why everyone in an OT wear green...maybe blood stains donot look too bad on them), came and said I will give you couple of injections and that will be the most painful part. I was watching and he pulled up an injection and jabbed two shots(one below and other above the eye)...slowly my I started loosing my senses around the left eye... and the whole left side of my face(it felt I had a block of lead on my shoulder). He came back after 10 minutes and I could see him jabbing two more...(didnot feel any pain), well that obviously was the anaesthesia. Thank God, I thought my ordeal was over...

Then a nurse came and asked me to staighten my hand and pulled a stand across my chest...then the worst part...a green sheet of cloth with only opening for my left eye was pulled over my face...She was nice to ask..."Can you breathe, Sandip", Yes Ma'am was an affirmative reply.... The lights were switched on and I could see the doctor walk across and sit behind my head.
The worse thing of a local anaesthesia...you can see everything while the surgery was going on with the same eye..I was wondering why I didnot opt for a GA(General Anaesthesia,,). "Scaple, Bandage, retractors etc...I kept hearing and seeing...They fixed my eyes with something and then I saw the surgeon doing something to my eye...he was playing with my pupil..moving then from right to the left to the centre etc. I could feel some workings with my eye...however it was quite suffocating inside that green sheet...and sometimes the surgeon's hands were over my nose...leading to breath-lessness...I could feel scraping inside my eye and suddenly I felt a shooting pain. "Doctor its paining", hold on Sandip its only 10 minutes more and we are through was the answer.

Then he called the anaesthesiologist who jabbed the fifth injection in my eye so that I did not feel any further pain. Ten minutes seemed like eternity and I was hoping it ends soon...I kept hearing the "beep beep" of a machine which kept constant check of my pulse, blood pressure etc. Then suddenly I could feel the doctor putting a lot of pressure on my eyes - "nurse , sutures, forceps etc" and I could see his intense gaze..."its over in 2 mins now" he said.

"I shrieked in pain, when an injection was plunged into my eye. Its over now Sandip...nurse remove cover, put bandage etc...Finally it was over and I was asked to sit-up. The left eye was covered with a bandage and yet another green protective cover was stuck.

I was led out of the OT to room where my family and friends were waiting...I could see the happiness in their faces. While I am recovering from the surgery I hope it will help correct my "Diplopia" and reduce the cervical spondolytis.
Note: if you want to take a look at the operation then click on this link...This was not my eye surgery rather something on "You Tube" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3ySqofusgw

3 comments:

  1. Hey Sandip, what a description of feelings !! Don't worry too much. Wish you a 'speedy' recovery, free of complications and near 100% correction of diplopia (without tilt) & 100% on spondylitis, as a by-product.

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  2. That was an ordeal Sandip....... i am speechless.........

    Let me be very honest here, i was expecting loads of humour in your writing, which is there, but I am not finding it funny one bit.

    All iz wellllllllllllllll and thats what matters :)

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  3. Eye Surgery in India is gaining popularity around the world. Not only does the country offer some very good doctors but also world-class treatments. Eye surgery in India is the cheapest in the world yet you will get the best treatment. In India, the popularity of Eye surgery is getting blossomed among the people and even the ophthalmologists. Today, the highest international quality of eye care for cornea, cataract, squint and glaucoma is available in India, over 40 centers. Cornea transplant India

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