337: All hail the NHS

This is my week in UK. For the last couple of weeks in Warsaw I had been enduring slightly blurred vision in my right eye - it was almost as if there had been a windscreen wiper fitted internally! I took myself off to an optician on Tuesday and she referred me to the local hospital for a more comprehensive look. My appointment this morning was for 10.20 and as soon as I arrived I was given a piece of paper saying that my appointment could be bumped if patients requiring immediate attention came in. They said I might have to wait up to four hours. Fair enough - this was an emergency clinic after all. As it happened I had to wait ten whole minutes (!) before they called me in to dilate my pupils and then perhaps half an hour to wait while they dilated. An ophthalmologist called me in and gave both eyes a thorough examination. I awaited her diagnosis with a rather large degree of trepidation. I'm sure the sigh of relief I gave could have been heard over the whole county if not the whole country. Turns out I have Posterior Vitreous Detachment and in all probability this is benign. Around 10% of patients of patients go on to develop a retinal tear within 6 weeks as the vitreous gel tugs at the retina. This means that 90% don't! A retinal tear is much more serious and can lead to blindness if not treated immediately. Fingers crossed. Tremendous service and compassion from our oft derided National Health Service.

Yesterday I went to London. In between visiting my sister at lunchtime and a very good friend in the evening I went to the Imperial War museum in South London. I've been before but this is the first time I'd noticed the Russian/Soviet memorial in the grounds. I wonder how many Russian memorials there are in UK. I remember being present at the dedication of the memorial to the famous Russian ship Varyag, which was scuttled off the coast of Ayr.
I had a quick wander around the museum and was particularly struck by the Secret War display. There were information boards about MI5, MI6, GCHQ, SOE and Special Forces (спецназ) and, of course, video footage of the SAS action to end the Balcombe street siege. N.B. There is no need for any spies reading this blog to go dashing down to the Imperial War museum as there was no classified information being shown!