He wore an " I'm retired"  sash at his black tie leaving ball where colleagues gathered to say farewell.

Teifi James  was a Consultant Ophthalmologist with us  for 22 years and his colleague Alaji Gashau signed his card: “Teifi - league of his own and one of the finest colleagues I’ve ever worked with in 40 years as a doctor.  I will miss him and his never-ending support to colleagues and defence of the profession.” The ball was held at Berties Crystal Ballroom in Elland on Saturday night. ,

The party saw speeches by Keith Davey, Rehna Khan, Gbemi Oworu and obviously Teifi himself with some lovely video messages from passed colleagues in Australia, Jordan and Trinidad. Entertainment from the band his daughter is part of Irie Yo Yo.

Before he went CHFT weekly asked him to reflect on his career. .

He  recalls: " Visual rescue – restoring people’s eyesight. Un-blinding people is the highlight of my work. The long term management of young people with hitherto blinding diseases – and watching them grow up and become adults while keeping them seeing and even driving."

He added: "On a personal level, being made an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff university and becoming a Fellow of both the London and Edinburgh Royal Colleges of Physicians – as an eye surgeon. I am very proud of those achievements."

Amongst the major developments in eye care during his career s the almost disappearance of orbital cellulitis. 

" Orbital cellulitis in children has almost disappeared thanks to the Hib vaccine – a huge public health success that has passed by almost unnoticed. The advent of Monoclonal Antibody therapies have transformed outcomes for many eye conditions. The number of people going blind each year in Britain has fallen to an all-time low. Cataract surgery has become safer, more predictable and outcomes are now spectacular for the vast majority of people."

We wish him well for the future.