As you may have heard, I came down with a major eye issue while in South Dakota prior to the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe. I had to take a medical leave of absence from the Bassmaster Elite Series for the rest of the season.
Honestly, when you consider there are only nine events, it’s surprising that pro anglers don’t have to take medical hardships more often.
Golfers do it all the time, but they can miss an event or two with a 40-event schedule. If we miss one, it costs us a Bassmaster Classic berth.
So, how did this happen?
My wife and I arrived in South Dakota early and planned to go visit Mount Rushmore on Friday morning. I woke up ahead of schedule that day and had trouble seeing through my left eye. I kinda blew it off and went back to bed, but when I got up later and looked at the sun, I couldn’t see anything but red through that eye.
I called my ophthalmologist back in Texas, and he said I needed to see someone soon. We got an appointment in Rapid City, S.D., and the doctor there said there was so much blood in the eye he couldn’t tell if it was a detached retina. He thought I might have two tears and would require immediate surgery. Further testing led him to believe it wasn’t totally detached, but he couldn’t determine if there were tears for sure because there was too much blood blocking his view.
He tried finding us a retina specialist there, but none was available anywhere until the next week.
With two tournaments to go, I was on the bubble to make next year’s Classic, so I considered staying and trying to fish through it.
At that point, vision in my left eye was severely impaired and my depth perception was off. If surgery was required, recovery would be very intense and limiting. So we chose to drive back to Texas and see a retina specialist in Austin.
It would cost me a shot at a Classic berth, but I know I have a lot more tournaments ahead of me, and more importantly, I only have two eyes and need both of them.
It was the right move. The Austin doctor determined I have severe hemorrhaging of the retina and require a series of injections followed by surgery two to four months afterwards. But my vision in that eye should be restored.
B.A.S.S. didn’t hesitate to offer me the medical exemption, and my sponsors were very understanding and supportive.
Of course, I’m terribly disappointed I can’t finish the year and compete in next year’s Classic. Being forced to sit out is not easy, and it has made me realize just how much I enjoy this career and am nowhere near retirement.
I’ll get this eye fixed, prep for next season and be back with more vigor, passion and appreciation for a sport that has given me a lot of satisfaction and joy over the years.
