“Dr Chang said to me: ‘This is really serious, Andrew. You need immediate treatment or you will be blind in your right eye.”

Fox Sports commentator Andrew Voss was in danger of losing his sight this year.

If your family follows the National Rugby League (NRL), you’ve probably heard of Andrew. Or at least you’ve heard his voice commentating the footy on television and radio.

As a sports commentator, Andrew’s eyes are his career. But just like the 140,000 + patients we treat in Sydney Eye Hospital every year, he feared for his future. This is his story.

“I was doing up my shirt when I suddenly had blurred vision and was seeing little ‘floaty things’.

“But there was zero pain and I was rushing off to do a TV interview, so I thought ‘She’ll be right’ and off I went. By the time I returned home around 3pm, my eye was so ‘not right’. Where before I had blurred vision, I now had what was more like a grey fog.”

Andrew’s optometrist sent him straight to the emergency department at Sydney Eye Hospital.

“At the Hospital, I was diagnosed with multiple tears to the retina in my right eye,” says Andrew.

“Later, my surgeon, Dr Andrew Chang gave me his verdict, saying: ‘If we don’t act immediately, you will be blind in your right eye inside two weeks.’ Those words and what they meant to my life, hit me like a sledgehammer. I was booked in for surgery the next day.”

Andrew’s initial surgery was successful, but a few days later, his eye haemorrhaged and went dark. Dr Chang now had to perform a more complicated operation called a Vitrectomy.

“For the first three days post-op, there was darkness, but I was assured this was all part of the process”, says Andrew. “Trust the experts my friends. Almost three months on, my right eye still isn’t 100%, but continues to slowly improve. The alternative was dire. And incredibly, I missed just one weekend of calling rugby league.

“I cannot speak highly enough of every point of contact of care I experienced at Sydney Eye Hospital. As I’ve said before when watching a piece of magic on the footy field, ‘I’m struggling to find adequate superlatives to describe this performance’.

“I was seriously lucky to receive such expert advice and treatment within 24 hours of noticing the problem.”

This Christmas, Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation is asking for people to donate to help upgrade the Sydney Eye Hospital’s Outpatient Department.

Dr Andrew Chang, Vice President of Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation and Medical Director, Sydney Eye Hospital said, “We are particularly grateful for the generous support received in this challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many lives and businesses, as well as our ability to raise much-needed funds.”

The Outpatient Department provides specialised care for virtually every eye disease and injury including cataract, ocular plastic, glaucoma, vitreo retina, medical retina, neuro ophthalmology and corneal conditions. Demand for services is increasing with our ageing population and lifestyle factors.

The Outpatient Department is in need of transformation to meet current and future demand.

• It was designed 24 years ago and is now in need of urgent upgrades to meet 21st century needs.
• The treatment and waiting areas are at capacity, under duress to meet current patient demand.
• Much of the technology and equipment is considerably outdated. Modern imaging technology is rapidly improving in accuracy and efficiency.

After community consultation and on advice from specialists, patients, nursing, the Hospital is future-proofing the Outpatient Department through renovation and purchase of diagnostic and treatment technology and equipment.

Please donate to upgrade our patient centred clinics:

• 3 ultrasounds to provide detailed imaging of retina and optic nerves costing $296,000
• 21 new slit lamp patient chairs, requiring an investment of $336,000
• New self-information kiosks to improve patient flow valued at $272,000