Is Tom Aspinall really lying about his eye condition? The MMA world has questioned this ever since UFC 321, when he walked out of the fight, claiming a double eye poke forced him to stop. Later, Aspinall revealed that the incident caused multiple complications, including Brown syndrome. Then, this month, the debate intensified after he posted behind-the-scenes pictures of both his eye surgeries.

Naturally, this led some to claim that Tom Aspinall used the eye poke as an excuse to avoid the fight against Ciryl Gane. Now, a senior ophthalmologist with experience in around 5,000 cases has stepped forward to set the record straight and reveal the truth.

Medical expert breaks down Tom Aspinall’s eye surgery controversy

“Yesterday, he blocked some pictures about his LASIK surgery. And today, he also uploaded a picture of his red eyes, the day after surgery. You know, it makes me smile because if he keeps talking about his ocular surgery or ocular damage, it will make him a liar, or it will hurt his career, since a lot of people won’t know the facts. His surgery is not severe; it’s a very simple procedure to correct myopia, not for damage,” said ophthalmologist Lee Dong-ik in a clip posted on X on February 15.

In fact, surgeons reportedly used the ZEISS MEL90 in the procedure, a high-speed excimer laser for LASIK that treats myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. This reportedly caused Tom Aspinall’s red eye, which he posted about on social media. However, the doctor explained that this reaction is completely normal.

“It’s a red eye, that’s all. His red eyes will recover within maybe 10 days without, you know, any treatment. So it’s normal, very simple irritation… I hope that he stops lying. His eye is okay. I’m a retina specialist. I spent almost 24 years becoming a retina specialist and eye doctor, and I’ve performed almost 5,000 ocular surgeries,” the retinal specialist added.

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After the double eye poke at UFC 321, Tom Aspinall rushed to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where doctors said he had no serious injury. Later, doctors in the UK assessed him differently and revealed that Aspinall developed conditions such as double vision (diplopia) and loss of his field of vision.

As a result, these medical assessments have, in fact, fueled various conspiracy theories. Recently, the MMA page “MMA Joey” on X shared a UFC 321 video clip showing the Briton complaining about eye twitching. The page claimed Aspinall wanted the UFC to pay for his “corrective eye surgery.”

However, fans quickly dismissed these claims, pointing out that medical care is free in the UK. Still, despite all the speculation, questions about Tom Aspinall’s eye condition remain. Last week, he finally broke his silence to explain the issues he was still facing before the surgery.

Tom Aspinall discusses the complications he still faces

It has been months since Ciryl Gane accidentally delivered the “unintentional” double eye poke to Tom Aspinall. Despite examining him, four doctors found that his problems persisted. Before Christmas, Aspinall underwent the initial surgery, but it did not fully resolve the problem. And just last week, while speaking with The Uncrowned, he revealed that he constantly sees “black spots” in his vision.

“The best way I can describe it is that it feels like I’m standing on a boat. I get really dizzy, and it’s very difficult to focus on the area I’m attacking. It’s like I don’t know where I’m going… I’m not even thinking about fighting at the minute,” Tom Aspinall said. “All I’m thinking about is getting my health right, so thinking about a return date is pointless until that happens.”

Right now, Tom Aspinall still has an uncertain return timeline. Meanwhile, Michael Bisping has also warned him not to rush back into fighting, pointing out that doing so could block the development of the heavyweight division.