Colin Hammond

Advanced Refractive Cataract Surgery

A devoted Yorkshire grandfather of two has been given a new lease of life following groundbreaking Advanced Refractive Cataract Surgery!

60 year old Colin Hammond was left with a disability following a problem with surgery to treat an aortic aneurism 5 years ago. After the surgery left him unable to walk, the last thing he needed was for his eyesight to start failing as getting around on his mobility scooter had become a lifeline for his independence. That’s what happened to Colin’s sight as he was dealt a devastating blow but now he is celebrating after being given the sight of a 21 year old as a result of an eye operation which lasted 20 minutes.

When his optician diagnosed cataracts, he recommended that Colin from Goxhill in North Lincolnshire was referred to a specialist as soon as possible for Advanced Refractive Cataract Surgery. A retired Industrial Engineer, Colin had always been active and his work for companies including ICI and BP regularly took him around the world for 40 years.

He didn’t want his growing cataracts to mean he had to accept his failing sight, stop using his mobility scooter and become housebound. Colin, who also now suffers from diabetes, visited Milind Pande, consultant eye surgeon at the Vision Surgery and Research Centre in Hull and he confirmed his deteriorating vision was down to the development of cataracts.

He recommended Advanced Refractive Cataract Surgery whereby Colin’s own lenses would be removed and replaced with a bespoke combination of super powerful lenses to correct his vision and replace his cataract lenses. Because his natural, cloudy lenses were to be removed, his cataracts would not return. But the key to success for Colin’s eyes was to be in the crucial precise vision measurement prior to his surgery.

His sight was measured using Milind Pande’s very own vision measurement technique called ‘PANFOCAL Vision’. This is a technique he has pioneered which includes measuring a patient’ s vision at distances needed for a range of everyday tasks from reading a book, newspaper, mobile phone or using an iPad to watching TV and driving. This way he is able to measure the patient’s lifestyle requirements exactly and recommend a customised combination of lenses, to achieve seamless vision from close to far.

Mr Pande devised the new measurement technique for use prior to undertaking vision correction surgery like Colin’s. The treatment hasn’t only cured his cataracts but also gave him the sight of a 21 year old into the bargain!

Colin said: “This surgery has been like a miracle to me and has helped my life in so many ways. It has given me my independence back, enabled me to read stories to my 6 year old granddaughter, Kate and play Lego with my 8 year old grandson Jake. This that really keeps me going – before the eye surgery I could no longer do either of these things. Now I can spend quality time with my grandchildren and become an integral part of their life again.”

“I have even resumed a hobby of my own which I have had to put on hold for a long time and that is model engineering. I have had mobility issues for five years now and my independence is crucial. I can now get back on the road on my mobility scooter and become independent again. I was constantly running into displays in shops because my sight was deteriorating do rapidly. You don’t realise just how utterly dependent you are on your sight, especially when you are in my position with restricted mobility. I am delighted and this certainly feels like a miracle to me!”

Colin’s wife, 54 year old Susan Hammond is a pastry chef at the region’s Reeds hotel and artistic cake decorator. She described how Colin’ s successful eye surgery has helped the family as a whole. She said: “I don’ t know how I would cope with the loss of sight due to cataracts especially with my job but for Colin, it was an even bigger devastating blow. His life has changed immeasurably since he had to cope with disability and his sight is crucial to his overall wellbeing.

Now his sight is better than it has ever been and now Colin can watch TV, use his mobile and play with the grandchildren, even without any glasses at all! That’s incredible. I can see such a change and it is has been a very positive outcome for us all. We are delighted.”

Commenting on Colin’s treatment, Milind Pande said: “The difference between having the vision treatment which Colin had and standard lens exchange is that the overall result is ‘seamless vision’ without the gaps that can be common with using multi-focal lenses. Because we measure functional vision rather than a simple chart, we are able to predict the outcome accurately and get our patients the best possible vision without glasses.”Colin’s eyes were each done on separate occasions and each time, the entire process was completed within half a day.

Mr Pande continued: “Mr Hammond’s sight was not straightforward – he had an astigmatism in one eye and he also has diabetes. It was crucial that we got his eyesight back and put him back on the road to recovery as soon as possible. His family are very important to him and he values his mobility greatly so we needed to get him back on the road. I am delighted with the result and that I was able to enable Colin to enjoy his life once again.”