Wall of Love

“I met Mr Hove completely by chance at the 2022 Silverstone Grand Prix, 10 months prior to this I started to suffer from what I now know as chronic Uveitis. The initial flare up allowed the pressure in my right eye to build up to 42, which in turn resulted in loss of vision in that eye.

After many hospital visits and various eye drop medications, I did regain most of the vision in that right eye. However, unfortunately the Uveitis flare ups persisted which meant I had to stop wearing contact lenses and use steroid (pred forte) eye drops several times a day continuously. It was in this totally by chance meeting, I discovered Mr Hove was in fact an eye surgeon. Even on his day off he gave his time up to listen to my story and gave me his honest opinion which was that for all he couldn’t fix my Uveitis problem, which no one could, he could fix my vision to ease my need for contact lenses and frustration at that time of having to wear glasses. I have been a contact lens wearer for 25 years! I will also never forget the fact that he too used eye drops, which he got from his pocket to show me along with his words “look even I use eye drops and believe me if I could have fixed myself, I would have” …. It was those words that built the trust I had in Mr Hove.

However, as much as my eye problem did frustrate me and got me down, I still couldn’t overcome my fear of hospitals and eye surgery, to go for the consultation he had offered me. Rolling the clock forward to July 2023, my vision in my right eye had massively deteriorated once more, but unlike before I had no pain. Concerned, I went back to the hospital where I discovered I had a cataract brought on by the constant steroid use. I knew the time had come to “man up” and make that trip to London from the Northeast to meet up with Mr Hove, the man who had obtained my trust and respect that single day at Silverstone.

At my initial consultation with Mr Hove, I discovered not only did I have the really bad cataract in the right eye, I was actually also starting with one in the left eye too, although at its early stages. Mr Hove recommended I had refractive lens exchange surgery with trifocal lens in both eyes, and that the surgery could be done in both eyes at the same time! He was fantastic in explaining everything to me, although I think my husband was the one asking all the questions as I had clammed up from my pure fear of it all. Mr Hove could sense my nerves, so spent a lot of time in making sure I left that consultation, with a full understanding of the procedure, ensuring I had very very little to worry about and that I would be fine.

That train journey back up North was a quiet one, as I mulled things over. Deep down I knew I had to have the surgery, and I knew I wanted it to be performed by Mr Hove. However, I also knew to keep me calm in the build up to the surgery I needed to have it done under a general. After confirming with Bukie I wanted to go ahead, I found myself heading back to London for the surgery early September.

The day had come, I was petrified but knew I was going to be in good hands. The 10 minutes before going into theatre, I will never forget as it’s when I discovered I wasn’t going to have the surgery under General due to a little bit of a mix up. I was petrified but Mr Hove was brilliant, his reassuring words calmed me down and asked I still go through with it as he knew I would be fine, and I just needed to trust him. It was the trust in him that had got me this far… so after a few minutes, I said… “Just get me in there before I have any more time to think about it...” Those 5 minutes I now laugh about as like he said I had absolutely nothing to fear. Mr Hove and his team that night were brilliant. Not only did I get to listen to his super taste of music, but he also talked to me most of the way through the procedure, not that I am convinced it all went in, as I was concentrating so much on the lying still!

The surgery was over so quickly and has been a massive success. It’s been a long time since I have woken up on a morning and able to see! Mr Hove’s after patient care was brilliant. From the phone call the next evening following the surgery, to the provision of his mobile number should I ever need to get in touch with any issues or concerns I had.

At my follow up Mr Hove confirmed all was good and we did have a little laugh about it all. Not only am I cataract, glasses and contact lens free, my vision is nearly perfect. I honestly can’t recommend Mr Hove enough and I am extremely grateful that our purely by chance meeting happened that day at Silverstone.

Now rolling this story on further to December 2024, my husband and I are just back from London again. This time it was my husband’s turn. He had reached the time in his life where the need for reading glasses was affecting his building work and frustrating him massively. Mr Hove performed refractive lens exchange surgery for him. Both eyes were done together, again with great results. This surgery was carried out in the fantastic facilities of Weymouth Street Hospital. The staff there too were amazing with us both! We really can’t thank Mr Hove enough for his impeccable care to us both. ”

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