Young woman’s eye test helps to save her whole family from potential life-threatening heart issues

A BIDEFORD optician has been praised for potentially saving the lives of generations in a family after he spotted symptoms of a genetic condition during a routine contact lens check-up.

Neil Millen, a director at the locally owned and run Specsavers Bideford store, was examining Hanna Ganderton’s vision when he spotted a grey ring in each of her eyes.

The rings are a sign of arcus juvenilis, which can affect people aged 40 or under, often signaling high cholesterol.

Neil explained the condition to Hanna and suggested she had a hospital examination and a blood test to assess the cardiovascular risks.

The tests showed that Hanna has familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 250 people, often causing severely high cholesterol levels and leading to early-onset cardiovascular disease.

Hanna, who is 21 and recently received her degree in neuroscience from the University of Exeter, says: ‘I hadn’t expected to have Neil’s diagnosis because I don’t fit the usual lifestyle factors associated with high cholesterol, but I got myself tested as a result and he was right.

‘My cholesterol levels were very elevated, so I then had a blood test to see if my condition was familial, and it was.

‘Having this diagnosis at such a young age wasn’t what I wanted, but it’s fantastic that Neil was able to see the signs of it early in my life.

‘I wouldn’t have had my cholesterol tested at my age were it not for having my eyes checked. I’m now on statins to lower my cholesterol.’

Hanna is aiming to study for a PhD in genetics, so she had a personal and professional interest in the condition’s hereditary effects.

She adds: ‘Because familial hypercholesterolemia is genetic, my father, who has raised cholesterol, was also put on statins, but both my parents and two brothers will now need to be tested for the condition.

‘I didn’t know something like this could be diagnosed by looking at the eye. It’s amazing. I would certainly urge people to keep up with their regular eye checks.

‘There is so much more to an eye test than simply checking your vision – it can potentially lead to a diagnosis that couldn’t be spotted so early otherwise.

‘I’m so grateful to Neil for his skill, professionalism and caring treatment. He’s changed my life and potentially saved it.’

Hanna’s mother, Dr Maria Ganderton, who works at the University of Plymouth, was equally full of praise for Neil.

She says: ‘I said a big thank you to Neil for literally saving Hanna’s life, and his diagnosis has also had a wider impact on other family members, because we will have to have more tests to see which family line the faulty gene comes down through.

‘Neil has potentially saved a whole family – and maybe the next generations of Gandertons – by spotting the arcus juvenilis in Hanna’s eye, and we are so grateful.’

In addition to being a director and contact lens optician at Specsavers Bideford, Neil works at the University of Plymouth’s Centre For Eyecare Excellence.

He says: ‘I’m really happy to have been able to help Hanna. Positive outcomes such as this are the highlight of what we do. It’s wonderful to know the positive impact my diagnosis has had on her long-term health and that of her family.

‘She’s absolutely right when she says that keeping up with routine eye tests means that optometrists can pick up signs of conditions at an early stage and then refer the person for treatment. The earlier these things are found, the better.

‘I hope that stories like Hanna’s can encourage others to maintain their regular eye health checks – because not everyone realises that the sight test is more than just whether you need glasses or not.’

Specsavers Bideford, in the town’s High Street, is open seven days a week. For further information contact 01237 420042.