UME. John Norman returned just in time for the semi-final match against Bjorkloven.
Double eye surgeries for keratoconus, which are cone-shaped corneas, have kept him off the ice.
– My vision gradually decreased and affected hockey, says John Norman about absences and illnesses.
John Norman was an important factor on Tuesday when Djurgården sealed victory in Umeå in the semi-final. He equalized 0-2 for Edwin Hammarlund as well as Liam Ogren 1-4 and this was Norman’s first result since December 9, 2022.
All in all, Norman had a dismal season where he didn’t produce points like he normally would and would in a series like Hockeyallsvenskan.
a rare disease
But there is a big reason for this difficult season.
Keratoconus.
It is an eye disease that affects John Norman and affects 1 in 2000 people worldwide. The disease causes the cornea to become peaked or cone-shaped, impairing vision over time or gradually.
– I noticed that my vision was getting worse and I went to the ophthalmologist. Now I go to St. Eric’s Eye Hospital and also had surgery on my eyes to get rid of the disease, says John Norman.
He had surgery on his double eye and for this reason he did not play a match throughout February and March. Norman did something called corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), a B vitamin that is combined with UV light to reduce clumping.
Back to the game
Now the vision is starting to return to what it was before the unpleasant corneal problems arose. He will also try to use scleral lenses to raise his eyes and vision as much as possible.
Norman’s return to the team gave Djurgården more strength and breadth. He was an extra forward in the first semi-final, but was matched and eventually scored on nine minutes.
On Tuesday, he played Ludwig Rensfeldt in the third series and got over 11 minutes of ice time. Of course, both Norman and Djurgården feel that they should not overwork themselves, respecting rehabilitation after eye operations and taking it at a leisurely pace.
