Massa's eye

Thanks to you too.
I get a second opinion next week. The diagnosis isn't really in doubt. I just want to be comfortable with the sawbones. Don't know when the operation will be scheduled but I'm told that I'd better be fit to travel in Feb. or the Mrs. takes vacation without me.
No beer allowed just drugs. But my HMO doesn't cover booze anyway
David

 

yep...exactly right.

and the way i read it, saying his vision is 100% is NOT saying he's 100% to race.

talk about trying to read between the lines!

 

Have you ever laid in a bed for a week or more without getting up? When you do, you will realize how quickly your muscles turn to mush. Once up and around again it takes time to rembuild those muscles and with an injury to the head, you wont be able to do that because you cannot elevate your blood pressure. Once Massas head and eye is healed then he will get into shape. I have said right from the beginning that he would not be back this season but there are a couple in here who seem to be afraid of him comming back at all. Could it have somthing to do with kicking Alonsos ass next year in the same car?

 

Has nothing to do with Alonso.

Massa has an injury to his eye and head. Add in the fact that he has a new born on the way I have a feeling that in the back of his head thee will be a little voice in his head that will be saying "Back Off this does not look good".

Massa might make a come back yet I seriously doubt that he will be a as aggressive and competitive as he was prior to the accident.

 

No way. Massa is a racer. He has always been aggressive. He will come back even more motivated. Hope he is also as fast - that one is harder to predict

 

We will see. But Im thinking that Alonso will need a pair of depends to go along with his bib next season when Massa leads him in points.

 

Yeah. But we must admit that he was quite often ahead of Raikkonen: great value for money!

 

Ferrari agrees. That's why Kimi is gone.

 

from the interviews i've read he didn't see the spring hit him and was semi conscious during the accident so i don't think he has any real memories that could effect his subconscious. the mental triggers aren't there.

 

That's the common thread among drivers who DO come back just as strong as they were.

 

It's all about how he does in January at fiorano with the 2010 car, if the lap times aren't there (compared to Fisi) we won't see him next season.

 

I am an MD, an ophthalmologist, ie an eye physician and surgeon. I have followed this story very closely, read all the press releases and looked at the photos. Obviously, I cannot diagnose accurately without an examination and performing some ancillary testing.

Massa's eye and eyelid are not normal. What exactly the problems are has been speculated, but I have yet to hear any legitimate source confirming the real diagnosis.

Based on the mechanism of injury I was most concerned about damage to the optic nerve. An impact to the frontal bone can transfer force directly to optic canal, putting pressure on the optic nerve. But there are myriad other scenarios, ranging from orbital fractures to ocular muscle injuries to intraocular derangement. It sounds like nothing catastrophic occurred, but why have facts been withheld?

Notwithstanding the all-is-well reports, I am still interested in getting some facts about the true nature of eye injury. Does anyone out there know?

 

Well, Ferrari seem convinced he's all right, and so does the FIA. Personally, maybe it's the plastic surgery or something, but just above his eye, it still looks a bit swollen. Just a little. Compare it to his other eye, and it's quite obvious. Then again, I'm no doc...

 

Thanks for the informed opinion.

 

I've read that supposedly he's alright. I hope he is. The swollen appearance of the left eye may not be relevant to visual function. Massa could have sustained significant optic nerve damage that is not visible externally at all. He could have been tested and found to have 20/20 visual acuity yet could have extensive limitation of his peripheral vision and loss of color and contrast.

My point is that none of us really know much about Massa's eye or vision.

Medical information for most of us is very private and is legally protected in the US. Elite athletes are a different story. Their bodies are not their own. That's why I expected we might actually hear about Massa's real problem. So if anyone has some info, I'd certainly like to hear it.

 

I'd assume that since the tests were FIA supervised all significant parameters were assessed.

 

he looked well at practice today.

 

Could be that while his sight is fine his bones still need more time to knit.

 

That was my take as well.

 

What i meant was for next season. He should be ok for next season. As for his home race, whats the point? It's not like he or Ferrari are in championship challenging position.