Upon hearing for the first time about the error during surgery, we asked Sisler if Dr. Hsu (the resident) performed any portion of the surgery on Peanut and if this was the cause of the silicone oil leakage. Sisler tells us that she did not, but that she was present to help hold tools, etc…. We will never forget what he said next:

“I wish I could have someone else close the ports because I find it tedious and boring and because I really don’t like doing it. But I was the one who failed to close the port.”

Reeling from that statement, we continued to emphasize that Peanut seemed very uncomfortable with this swollen conjunctiva. We were looking for some sort of relief for him. Sisler continues to maintain that this is cosmetic. He told us that Peanut was not uncomfortable. Instead, he said “he just needs a bath.”

Sisler contradicted his statement that this issue was merely cosmetic by confessing to us that the oil that leaked out from the back of Peanut’s eye had been replaced by water. This created a meniscus that was having a negative impact on his vision. Sisler did not explain that light passes through oil and water differently and that this issue (along with the meniscus) was impairing Peanut’s vision. We learned this from Dr. Brad Nadelstein (a retina surgeon in Virginia) at a later date when we sought a second opinion.