Sometimes random stuff just comes up!
Our Co-Founder and Practice Manager, Gemma Willsher, shares her recent experience of following our own advice!
Those familiar with Winchester GP will know that we are big fans regular screening and preventative, proactive care, in all areas of health. So I duly popped in to Specsavers recently for my routine eye test. A few super simple tests later, and it turns out that whilst I would swear blind (sorry!) that all ingredient lists and appliance instructions are being printed ridiculously small these days, it is in fact that me and my eyes are just getting older. (Shocking, I know!)
Much jollity ensued in the store, as my very own teenage style consultants picked out my first natty quiver of 2for1 frames. I’m actually pretty excited to show off my new ‘intellectual’ look in the near future.
But something else less expected also came up.
Turns out, I have something called pterygium. It’s a build up of collagen on the surface of the eye, which is barely visible currently, but will grow over time, and might start to bother me cosmetically, and with a feeling of grittiness in my eye. If it grows over my pupil it will cause some visual disturbance. BUT the good news is that it’s benign and can be sorted with some pretty straight forward minor surgery once it starts to get in the way. So far so sorted…
As the opthalmologist talked me through the diagnosis he explained that pterygium is thought to be caused by lots of UV exposure and/or exposure to irritants like dust and wind. It’s even nicknamed ‘surfer’s eye’. Most often seen in rufty tufty outdoorsy males between 20 and 40, and particularly if you live in a sunny place. Think military veterans, or those who spent their childhood growing up near the equator. This doesn’t exactly match up with this Norfolk born and bred, 48 year old female who tried surfing just the once, way back when, and lasted less than 20 of the planned 90 minute lesson!
And it got me thinking, we can all manage and analyse our risk factors for different health conditions as much as we like, but sometimes the human body hasn’t read the script, and this sort of random stuff just crops up.
Thanks to finding out early, I am now armed with all the top tips to manage this condition, with the aim of slowing its progression, and maybe even preventing the need for surgery down the line. It turns out in addition to eye drops for the grittiness, I have to ramp up my sunglass wearing. So don’t be surprised if I look like I’m channelling Anna Wintour next time you see me!
SO, food for thought… and…. confession time, people! (It’s a safe space…)
How long since:
- your last hearing test?
- your last eye check?
- your last general health check or wellness screen?
If the answer to any of the above is longer than a year, then why not commit to getting that in the diary? Winchester GP has designed what we (humbly) believe to be a top notch Wellness Screen - comprehensive blood tests, and an ECG followed by an extended consultation with one of our doctors, so you can really get to grips with your health, understand your individual risk factors and catch any pesky curve balls early (when they tend to be far easier to sort!). Simply pop us an email or give us a call to book!