Trumpet Players' Eyecare
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Ever since I suffered a rather catastrophic retinal ablation during an orchestra rehearsal, I've heard about many other players with similar problems. I've mentioned the fact to my ophthalmic surgeon (internationally renowned guy and comeback trumpet player) and he was unaware that there was any connection between trumpet playing and eye trouble, was even unaware whether there was any research out there. He told me that enhanced eye pressure through exertion was harmless and that there had been research showing that women in labour had enormous eye pressure values without any long-term effects. I reminded him of the fact that a trumpet player would much more often play a double high C than give birth... and he agreed to look into the matter, asking me to collect personal experiences to start off from. Anyone here with eye trouble is invited to send their stories to me privately, and I will forward them in anonymised form.
