A Richmond woman has praised a local optician after a routine eye test led to urgent laser surgery on a torn retina.
Tracy Spencer, 55, a swimming instructor who also serves as Richmond’s town crier, booked an eye test at Specsavers Richmond store after noticing unusual floaters in her vision one Sunday morning while lying in bed.
Tracy said: ‘I just felt something wasn’t right. It wasn’t painful, so I thought I probably just needed a stronger prescription, I even wrote that on the form when I booked the appointment. I never thought it would turn out to be anything more serious.’
During the appointment, optometrist director Priya Aggarwal decided to carry out a full eye health check, including an OCT (optical coherence tomography) scan – hospital-grade technology which provides detailed images of the layers inside the eye.
Tracy added: ‘Priya was really calm and professional throughout the whole thing. She was concerned that it could be a detached retina and called the hospital straight away to arrange for me to be seen as soon as possible.’
Tracy was seen at Darlington Memorial Hospital the next day, where specialists confirmed that whilst her retina fortunately wasn’t detached, it was in fact torn, which is a potentially serious condition that can lead to detachment and permanent vision loss if not treated quickly.
The following day, Tracy underwent laser eye surgery to repair the tear. Due to the placement of the tear, it took another visit ten days later to complete the surgery. After a few months and a final check-up, her retina was fully healed.
Although she still has floaters, Tracy says she’s no longer worried and is urging others to take any changes to their vision seriously, she said: ‘I’m just so glad I went to see Priya when I did.
“I could have easily brushed it off, but people don’t realise Specsavers can deal with emergencies like mine. I thought I’d need to see my GP first, but that wasn’t the case at all.”
Priya Aggarwal, optometrist director at Specsavers Richmond, said: “We often see people who delay coming in, assuming their symptoms aren’t serious, sometimes for months. But even small changes in your vision can be a sign of something more significant.
“If you notice anything unusual with your sight, whether it be floaters, shadows, or blurred vision, don’t ignore it. Book an appointment with your optometrist as soon as possible.
‘”I’m so glad Tracy came to see us when she did. By acting quickly, she avoided what could have been a much more serious outcome. She absolutely did the right thing.”
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Isn’t that part of an optician’s job?