Sight-saving staff were left seeing double when twins Bill and John Bowdler had the same surgery on the same eyes at a Birmingham clinic.
Bill and John are identical and firmly believe that two is better than one – having always dressed the same, lived together their whole life and done the same jobs with the same employers. And the 82-year-olds didn’t leave it there when it came to eye health, because within a few weeks of John having cataract surgery on his right eye at Birmingham Newmedica, Bill had the same operation at the same clinic on his right eye.
Cataracts are when the lens of a person’s eye develops cloudy patches. Over time these patches usually become bigger. Although cataracts are relatively common and easily treatable, they cause blurred vision and eventually blindness if ignored.
John said: “We’ve always been identical in most things we do, so I suppose it seemed natural to us that when one of us needed cataract surgery, the other would as well.
“When you think about it, it’s got to be very unusual. The staff at Newmedica Birmingham were quite surprised when they saw us.
“We were very impressed by everyone at the clinic. They were really professional, and there’s a vast difference in my sight since having the surgery. Everything’s clearer and sharper now, and the TV is so bright.”
John and Bill love to watch sports and are season ticket holders at Villa Park, so their sight is particularly important for them. They will return to Newmedica Birmingham to have cataracts removed from their left eyes, and they said they would advise others not to let fear prevent them from having the surgery.
Bill added: “We enjoy bingo and there are people there who’ve had the surgery. They reassured us in advance that it was painless and straightforward, so we weren’t worried beforehand – but I know some people are.
“There really is nothing to be apprehensive about. I’d certainly urge people to have the surgery if they need it. It can make such a difference to your life.”
Newmedica Birmingham, based at Aston Cross Business Village, undertakes various eyecare procedures and assists the NHS with its waiting lists. Professor Sai Kolli, consultant at Newmedica Birmingham, said: “Bill and John were wonderful patients. They’re the first twins we’ve had as patients here, and it must be such a rare occurrence to have them both have the same procedure on the same eyes.
“They’re absolutely right about people having no need to be nervous about the surgery. With cataracts, the procedure is very quick, carried out under local anaesthetic via eyedrops while the patient is awake, and it’s painless.” Newmedica Birmingham is led by consultant ophthalmologists Mr Sai Kolli, Mr Aaron Ng, Mr Ash Sharma and Mr Velota Sung, alongside operational partner Rachel Hill.
