Even More Deja Vu, It Seems

(posted by Alan)

As we considered it not worth taking any risks with my eyesight, we decided to stay in Oxford for a mid afternoon appointment we had been able to secure at the John Radcliffe hospital.  This was going to result in nearly two days spent in Oxford we had not planned for, but we felt to press on without getting it looked at would be foolhardy.

So we decided we might as well make the most of Oxford before then, and get some shopping in, and by lunch-time both Cath and I had added considerably to our wardrobe,  We made a poor decision then about how to get to the boat with our purchases, and ended up walking far further than planned, and not having time for a proper lunch.

But a bit of rushing got us back into central Oxford in time for the bus out to "the Radcliffe", and we grabbed sandwiches and bottled drink en route.

This was all starting to seem terribly familiar, as it was the mirror image of when Cath had similar eyesight problems on our last boating trip to Oxford, also at Easter, but 2 years ago.  Today was easier though, as we were starting from Oxford, not Thrupp, and it wasn't a Bank Holiday this time, so buses were much more abundant.  The downside was that whilst last time the eye hospital was deserted, this time it was very busy indeed.

As it turned out, we were in a different part of the unit, from most people there, being an "urgent assesment" rather than a routine appointment, and were seen relatively quickly.

A thorough but fairly unpleasant examination followed.  The doctor was surprised how intolerant the affected eye was to the bright lights used, and had to put anaesthetic in the eye to be able to examine it.  She said cataract surgery did not usually produce such a reaction.

Anyway it transpired she was carrying out identical examinations on me to those Cath had 2 years ago - the real worry is either "retinal tears" or the retina becoming actually detached.  Fortunately she found no evidence of this, but could see the same "floaters" as the optician had seen yesterday.

The diagnosis, exactly the same as Cath, although the symptoms slightly different.  Cath had "flashes", whereas I was seeing wandering black spots of various sizes, but in both cases what we have is "posterior vitreous detachment" which relates to ageing and shrinking of the "vitreous humour" in the eye.  In my case recent cataract surgery may have contributed to the onset.

Basically I have been told I can continue, but should present myself at an eye hospital within 24 hours if the symptoms worsen, or certain other things happen - a bit of a challenge if part way up the Thames to London!

Anyway, late in the afternoon we finally got going again, or would have, had we not found the very first lock without power, and with the hydraulics to hand crank the gates not actually doing so.  We'll gloss over the exact detail of how we got through the lock, other than to say it put two other potential sharers off attempting it with us, but get through it we did, with no Environment Agency kit harmed in the process!  After a few more miles, and one more (fortunately working!) lock, we decided not to press on into the unknown, with no certainty of finding a good mooring.

Dilemma for spectacle wearers returning to boat.

We moored up above Sandford Lock, glad to be moving again, and enjoyed a meal at the King's Arms - a relatively cheap experience, by "Thames side" standards, but non the worse for that.

We now just have to work out how to do the remaining trip in two days less than planned!







Oxford Osney to Sandford Lock
Miles: 4.0, Locks:2
Total Miles: 173.0, Total Locks:96