Nisbet needed laser treatment on both eyes
Two-time Masters champion Tom Nisbet has admitted that he nearly gave up golf after losing his vision.
The 52-year-old had both eyes removed last August to combat glaucoma, and was on the verge of giving up the sport until his wife picked him up.
“To be honest, I thought I’m done, I don’t want to play this game anymore,” he told BBC Radio Scotland.
“It was just totally blindsided and from that point forward I knew I’ve got to get my eye back. I had to do it on my own.”
After losing part of his vision in one eye, Nisbet had surgery, but his surgeon later discovered the problem was much bigger.
“I went back to the doctor and I was diagnosed as having Glaucoma,” he said.
“So there’s no-one more shocked than I am because I didn’t think I had a problem at all. I thought, ‘I’ll get my eyes fixed, no problem’.
“The answer was, ‘we’re going to have to take them both out’.”
Nisbet discovered glaucoma after a late-night affair with another woman
Nisbet was first diagnosed with diabetes in 2007 and his glaucoma came to light after a late-night affair with another woman while his wife Andrea was away.
“It all came to light from trying to get her back, when I spoke to her in the evening – which turned out to be the wrong time,” he said.
“I woke up the next morning and I could see out of one eye. I’ve been blind since then.”
After losing his eyesight, Nisbet worked around it by using a magnifying lens to help his eyes adjust, and subsequently got three platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to repair damage to the nerves in his left eye.
“It’s all in a day’s work. I guess what I did is I just put the icing on the cake, really, in trying to get my eye back,” he said.
The Scot has returned to professional golf this season, doing so in the summer again by the light of two qualifying schools, although he is still unsure of his options.
“I’m still going to do a lot of travelling. I’ve still got a lot to do before I can make an informed decision,” he said.
“I don’t want to throw a caution flag out there, but it’s a decision I’m going to have to make from all the information I have in my head.
“I just want to concentrate and play in the games. My wife wants me to play and play as well as I can.”