Marquez: a great ally in the development of ophthalmology

Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez was at Hospital Clinic de Barcelona on Monday 9th September as an ambassador for the ‘Learn for Sight’ program that aims to fund a new ophthalmology training centre and help third world countries to have free eye tests.

The seven-time World Champion suffered a serious eye injury during Free Practice at the 2011 Malaysian GP, which almost cost him his motorcycle racing career. Marquez, speaking at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona presentation, recalled a particularly tough period of his career, with the Clinic seeking to become the first public university centre in Europe to have an integrated Eye Clinic training centre.

“Following the crash I saw double and for five or six months I had a very bad time, with many doubts. I didn’t know if I could race again or not,” said Marquez. “With sight, as with so many other things, until you lose it you do not value it enough. It was impossible to read and everyday life becomes very difficult, so when I was asked to be an ambassador for this project, I didn’t think twice and helped to make the project known.

“These things are part of the risk we accept when we dedicate ourselves to this sport, which is our passion,” continued Marquez, speaking about his injury in 2011. “Without motorcycles I would not know how to live. When I entered the consultation, seeing double, getting dizzy on the street, I was worried a lot, they told me that I had to wait four or five months, then later they would decide if they operated on me or not and when I left the operating room I still looked worse. ‘What have you done to me?’ I told the doctor. It was a long recovery process, but the desire to get back on a motorcycle helped me get over it. I can’t imagine a life without motorcycles.”