20/12/2025
Hi Patients and Visionaries.
Today’s video is a very personal one. I want to share my own journey—from childhood Myopia, through genetics, to environmentally added Myopia, to diabetes, and finally to experiencing a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
My hope is that by sharing this, you’ll better understand your own eyes and risk profile, especially if you’re short-sighted or diabetic.
I was born with two very different eyes.
Genetically, I inherited a short-sighted left eye from my mom.
That eye has a longer-than-normal eyeball, which means light focuses in front of the retina, not directly on it.
My right eye, on the other hand, came from my dad—genetically normal, with a normal eyeball size and much lower risk.
This difference might sound small, but anatomically it matters a lot.
In a normal eye, everything is balanced:
The cornea, the lens, and the eyeball length all work together so that images focus perfectly on the retina. In my left eye, the eyeball was elongated from birth. That elongation stretched the retina, making it thinner and more fragile over time.
As my prescription increased during childhood ( Environmental stress on the eyes), so did the stress on the retina.
Higher myopia isn’t just about needing stronger glasses—it reflects real structural changes inside the eye.
The longer the eye, the more tension is placed on the retina and its supporting tissues.
Inside the eye is the vitreous, a gel-like substance that slowly changes as we age.
In myopic eyes, these changes tend to happen earlier. As the vitreous shrinks and pulls away, it can tug on weak areas of the retina, especially regions affected by lattice degeneration. That’s often where retinal tears begin.
Now let’s add a further major risk factor in my life:
Diabetes.
Whilst I was never diagnosed as a diabetic, all the signs and symptoms pointed to me being a diabetic.
This, further added to my risk profile. Diabetes affects the small blood vessels throughout the body, including those supplying the retina.
It can weaken retinal tissue, slow healing, and increase inflammation. While diabetes is often linked to diabetic retinopathy, it also amplifies existing risks—especially in an already stretched, myopic eye.
So now I had:
• An elongated eyeball
• A thin, stressed retina
• Vitreous changes happening earlier than normal
• And diabetes compromising retinal health
That combination dramatically increased my risk of a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, where a retinal tear allows fluid to pass underneath the retina, causing it to peel away.
( BUT, even ME - being an optometrist - did not fully appreciate how big my risk was!)
And that’s exactly what happened.
( AND, I only realised this - whilst I was lying flat on my box - after approximately 10 days of trying to figure out why I missed this...)
The day of my detachment was life-changing.
It reinforced something I now tell my patients constantly:
Retinal detachment is not random. It’s often the end result of identifiable risk factors that have been building for years.
This is why regular eye examinations are critical, especially if you are:
• Genetically short-sighted
• Became short-sighted after the age of 6
• Became a Type 2 Diabetic
Early detection of lattice degeneration, retinal thinning, or small tears can literally save your sight.
In high-risk eyes, preventative treatments like laser can be used before a full detachment ever occurs.
My journey—from inherited myopia, to becoming more myopic due to excessive looking close, to diabetes, to retinal detachment—has shaped how I view eye care today.
If this video helps even one person take their eye health more seriously, then sharing this story is worth it.
If you’re short-sighted, diabetic, or concerned about flashes, floaters, or visual shadows—please don’t wait. Get your eyes checked.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.
Hi Patients and Visionaries.Today’s video is a very personal one. I want to share my own journey—from childhood Myopia, through genetics and added environmen...
