The best laid plans...

Life is a funny old game. Just as you think everything is under control there is the inevitable curve ball. On Saturday 6th September all seemed well. I was enjoying the season’s opening double header at Twickenham and looking forward to the charity bike ride from East Beach the following morning and the opening of the new Beecroft Gallery during the week. I also had a busy week of court advocacy with hearings in Chelmsford on Monday, Southend on Wednesday and Cambridge on Friday. That was when I noticed a slight blurring of my vision and on closer investigation a curtain across the right hand side of my left eye. Things had not improved by the next morning so an early call to “111” ensued resulting in a recommendation to attend Southend A&E within the hour. After a few hours I was directed to attend the eye clinic at 5pm that evening when the inevitable diagnosis of a partially detached retina was made with concern as to some early issues with the other eye. I re attended the eye clinic the following morning to see the consultant and had operations on both eyes on Tuesday. The rest of the week was spent doing little other than liaising with my office by phone and discovering long forgotten parts of my CD collection. I have been making a slow return to work this week although whilst the vision in my right eye is almost back to normal my left eye has some way to go. The curtain has been replaced by very blurred vision which will hopefully clear over the next 3 or 4 weeks. I will comment on some minor and hopefully constructive issues arising from my treatment but in general terms there is nothing like an emergency of this kind to make you appreciate the skill and availability of our NHS and local hospital and also to appreciate the unquestioning support from family and work colleagues. And I have even avoided being the butt of too many pirate jokes!