Bideford optician’s quick thinking and expertise help to save Marina’s sight
NORTH Devon artist Marina Davies has praised an optician’s sight-saving diagnosis and care after a sudden bleed resulted in her needing emergency hospital surgery.
Marina, a former speech and language therapist, is a passionate artist, so her sight is particularly important to her.
When she woke up and had severe flashing lights in her vision, she initially thought she might be having a stroke.
She called her GP surgery but couldn’t get an appointment till late in the afternoon. She became increasingly anxious, so she contacted the locally owned and run Specsavers Bideford store.
They were able to fit her in as an emergency appointment. When they examined her, the optician suspected she had a bleed in the jelly in the back of her eye.
The bleed had resulted from a tear in Marina’s retina, a layer of tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into neural signals sent to the brain. If a tear like this progresses, it can detach the retina, leading to permanent sight loss.
Marina says: ‘Everyone at Specsavers Bideford was lovely. They didn’t make me feel like a nuisance. They were so helpful and caring. Geraldine, the optician who saw me, saw that my eye wasn’t right and immediately referred me to hospital.
‘At the hospital they discovered a retinal tear that had caused the bleed. I underwent urgent laser treatment to seal around the tear to prevent further bleeding as this could’ve caused a retinal detachment and loss of sight.
‘My sight is better now, but it’s not as it was. The hospital said this is normal and I’d have to wait to see how it goes.’
Symptoms of retinal damage can include flashing lights in a person’s vision, an increase in the number of floaters, and a shadow appearing in the peripheral vision. If anyone experiences changes such as these, they are advised to seek professional help immediately.
Geraldine Addison, the Specsavers Bideford optician who treated Marina, says: ‘I’m so pleased that we were able to help Marina and get her the treatment she needed quickly.
‘We were able to fit her in as an emergency because the rest of our team rallied around to ensure minimal disruption to the rest of the clinic that day.
‘It’s situations such as Marina’s that show how important it is to be aware of your sight and how it changes.
‘A bleed like hers is unusual, and that’s why regular eye tests are essential for early detection and prevention. It can be easy to ignore small signs and think they’ll go away, but for eye conditions and issues, such as retinal tears and detachments, the earlier the damage is treated, the greater the chances of restoring good vision.
‘Anyone with concerns about any unusual symptoms they’re experiencing should visit their optician or a GP as soon as possible.’
Specsavers Bideford, in the town’s High Street, is open seven days a week. For further information contact 01237 420042.
