If you do the following Google search and wade through the results you'll find a few recommendations for doctors at Rutin, including one that Sheryl used for a family member:

www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aaseannow.com+rutin+rutnin

It seems the people to see at Rutnin are:

Dr Roy or Dr Chaiwat

Dr Prin at Sukhumvit Hospital also gets a special mention.

In Chaing Mai, the retina expert is Dr Paradee, Professor at CMU, appointments available at RAM, Bangkok Hospital and Sriphat.

All done here.

An update on events.

Two weeks ago I decided to visit my much praised local private hospital here in CM, I've used them many times over the years and they do have some good doctors. I made an appointment with a senior ophthalmologist, someone who is highly regarded and is also a teacher at CMU. The appointment went well and a thorough inspection was performed, dilated pupil and all. Everything's OK was the diagnosis, come back in two weeks just to be sure. Two weeks later I went back and all was not well, a tear has been found in the retina which now appears to have become detached, interestingly, I am convinced that the doctor I saw two weeks ago was not the same one I saw on my second visit but with a mask on it's hard to tell. I'm pretty certain that the first doctor was partially blond but to be honest I'm now unsure. The one I saw on the second visit was the real deal because I have seen her photograph on the web.

I do know that the private hospitals often use students in place of consultant doctors, the practice is quite common. I once had a root canal done by a student but I didn't find out until afterwards when he told me he had a letter from his professor saying he was fit to practise!

Tomorrow we're going to try to close the retinal tear with a laser, I'm thrilled, at the prospect, naturally. It's only a ten-minute job, she said, I'll do it before I start work at the hospital. If that's the case, why is it costing 23,000 baht I wondered...but didn't ask! The moral of the story is, be careful who you consult with and be sure you know who you are consulting with, in these days of masked faces.

I had the retinal tear closed using the laser, this is a process akin to someone spot welding in your brain and is best avoided if possible. The problem, she said, is that every tear requires a large number of welds around the perimeter of the tear plus a few welds across the tear itself. At some point the laser beam will touch the nerve which she is unable to see, when that happens say "pain" and I will pause and weld in another area. So, plop plop plop plop plop went the laser, until suddenly the beam touched the nerve. It was more surprise than pain, at first, the involuntary reaction being to move away from the source of pain, the inclination is to attach ones self to the ceiling by all four paws. DO NOT MOVE she commanded in her sternest most threatening voice....gulp, yes maam. And that was how the next ten minutes went, 15 seconds of plop plop plop followed by her yelling at me because I'd flinched. Eventually some burly nurse ended up forcing my head against the retaining bar on the head rest making it impossible to move.....I thought to myself, when this is over I'm going to deck that bitch. If this conjures up images of medieval torture, you'd be close....at some point I remember laughing to myself and thinking, ha, and I'm paying 23k for this too, what a a deal! In all fairness the pain is unpleasant but not excruciating, the combination of anticipation and surprise plus the location of the pain (inside the brain) is the problem.

Eventually we were done and she was pleased, I was happy the retina had not detached because in the previous 24 hours I had experienced some weird lightening flashes and curtains across my vision. When you first try to see out of the eye following the treatment, everything is deep red, it's really spooky. Eventually normal service resumes. Ms Whiplash became a nicer person, she's very clearly the real deal and the classic hi-so Uni. Prof., I didn't feel ripped off but was still unhappy about the student substitution of the previous Saturday because that's dangerous.

Today I still have Mr Floater, he follows me everywhere although wearing dark glasses helps, I'm told floaters can last for 6 months and this one is the size of Vermont. I'm just happy I can still see out of that eye although I do still have a wavy curtain on one side. We'll see how things heal, I'm due back to see her on 27th. In the meantime, no running or sudden head movements, I'm so pleased I'm not gay. I still get some lightening flash's when moving from very bright to very dark but they're quite minor....stay tuned for episode 3, which I'm told may involve a rack and long needles, yippee.




  

Funny you should mention an eye patch, the idea rather appeals, perhaps a scar or two would complete the image of retired special forces/boat person/SAS what have you.

Interesting. In my case it would be a bull schmitte scar.

Being Germanic you've probably got enough already.