A Handwritten Letter from a Patient Who Underwent Extreme Eye Revision Surgery

A handwritten letter sent by a patient who underwent ‘extreme eye’ surgery

A handwritten letter sent by a patient who visited last week.

A patient who returned after a year sent me this warm, handwritten letter.

They hadn’t visited once since getting their stitches removed, but they stopped by a year later to deliver this letter and a gift. I am so incredibly grateful.

Fortunately, the surgery went well and they were very satisfied. Around the time they should have come in for a follow-up, they met someone wonderful and got married. Whenever a patient visits for a follow-up with such a joyful heart, I feel a deep sense of reward in this profession. In many cases, if the surgery goes well, patients don’t return for follow-ups, so ‘no news is good news’ often applies—but personally, I always welcome it when my patients come back to show me their progress.

This patient also had a unique story regarding their surgery. Next time, for the benefit of those suffering from similar issues, I will post the surgical plan and methods used on this blog.

I haven’t been able to post much lately because I’ve been busy preparing for academic conferences, having given over six presentations this year alone.

I saw the comments left by a patient on my previous post. Some might ask why I react so sensitively to every single criticism, but I think it is because of my perfectionist nature; I find it difficult to accept criticisms that I cannot logically justify to myself. Combined with being an ‘MBTI T’ type, I feel this tendency might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, and this incident has given me a chance to reflect on myself further.

Of course, it is this very personality that has driven me to strive for technical perfection in my surgical skills, and thanks to that, I often receive encouragement from patients with difficult cases, like the one who gave me this card. It is because of people like this that I find great fulfillment in my work.

While I may lack the silver tongue to offer ‘sugar-coated’ consultations to patients who are struggling emotionally, I will continue to provide accurate knowledge and do my absolute best in surgery for those I can help. I sincerely thank the patient who sent this handwritten letter for their support.