For Birmingham resident Khalid Fazil, a devastating brain injury in 2022 left a huge impact on his life. But thanks to eye surgery at Optegra Eye Hospital Birmingham he can now clearly focus on his path to rehabilitation.
Khalid, 59, was working as a business improvement manager for Virgin Media o2 when he was attacked by some young men in road rage incident whilst driving home from his mum’s house. “I have been off work for 18 months now, receiving neurological occupational therapy.
“The injury has changed the way I view the world, both physically and mentally,” he said.
“My spatial awareness, memory and concentration have all been affected. Brain injuries can also heighten the senses and it has definitely affected my vision – sometimes I see objects in different places from where they actually are as my brain does not process information in the same way as it did.”
Having worn glasses for the past 10 years, Khalid was used to attending regular eye tests. “Before the injury I was told I had cataract but when I went for my eye test last year, they said that it was developing more quickly than they anticipated, most likely due to impact on my head. I noticed blurred vision and a shadow across my sight.
“I have three children and look after my elderly mum, so life is busy. I wasn’t sure if the blurriness I was experiencing in my right eye was the cataract or something else, but I was keen to have surgery as soon as possible.”
Khalid was referred to Optegra Eye Hospital Birmingham for his cataract surgery. “During my first consultation the surgeon explained that my underlying issues could be affecting my vision rather than the cataract alone, so the outcome was not clear at that point. However, I was keen to give it a go as any improvement to my vision would be helpful.”
Consultant ophthalmic surgeon Magdalena Edington carried out Khalid’s surgery. She said, “Mr Fazil presented with a complex background – a traumatic brain injury and multiple other issues which affected his senses.
“Whilst I was cautious in my post-surgery prognosis, we were all committed to gaining as much improvement in his vision as possible. The procedure went very well and we are delighted with his outcome – even complex cases can be dealt with on the NHS at Optegra.”
Khalid continues: “I initially felt a bit anxious having never had surgery before, but on the day I was actually very relaxed. I was sitting next to an elderly lady in the pre-op room who was very worried, so I spent time calming her down and making her feel reassured. It’s in my nature to help people, it’s something I like to do. And it helped me to feel calm too!
“During the procedure I nearly went to sleep! I could hear the surgeon talking through what was happening and I found the voices around me very calming. In fact everything about Optegra was positive – the clinic staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the space was full of light with a positive atmosphere which I really liked.
“Now, the vision in my right eye is so clear, it’s amazing! I am eager to book in for my left eye to be treated as soon as possible too. There is so much doom and gloom in the world, and I could feel very negative given what I have been through, but I want to share joy and positivity. My whole Optegra experience was first class and I am a very happy patient. My vision is so important to me, and it was affecting my mood if I could not see well. My sight is so much clearer now, I am over the moon!”
Optegra Eye Hospital Birmingham is part of Optegra Eye Health Care, a specialist provider of ophthalmic services. Established in 2007, with its first hospital opening in 2008, it has completed over one million eye procedures from its 39 eye hospitals and over 60 locations across the UK, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.
Optegra brings together leading-edge research, medical expertise and state-of-the-art surgical equipment. It performs more than 140,000 treatments annually, both private and publicly funded. Its top ophthalmic surgeons are renowned for their areas of expertise, offering excellent clinical outcomes and great patient service.
