North Yorkshire optometrists act quickly to support man’s eyesight after emergency eye exam on holiday

John Morgan woke up on a holiday in Ripon struggling to see.

Within hours, he was diagnosed with a condition which can cause those suffering to potentially lose sight in their eye.

Now, after receiving treatment, the 67-year-old is urging people to book regular eye exams.

John, from Worsley in Greater Manchester, had been experiencing mildly blurred vision in the days leading up to a holiday with his family in North Yorkshire.

However, he thought he was just “getting used to my new glasses”.

But whilst on holiday, he woke up with what he describes as ‘frosted vision’, and he was struggling to see out of his right eye.

John booked in for an emergency eye appointment at the town’s Specsavers.

He underwent an optical coherence tomography scan (OCT) which helps specialists view the health of eyes in greater detail, by showing what’s going on beneath the surface of the eye.

The scan detected an issue with John’s central nerve.

He was referred to seek urgent treatment at Harrogate Hospital and later that day, last month, he was diagnosed as having Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO).

The condition meant the main retinal vein in his eye had become blocked, causing blood and fluid to spill out.

Without blood circulation, and a build-up of fluid, those suffering can potentially lose sight in the eye.

The injections help to prevent abnormal blood vessels from growing in the eye.

Now John is under the care of his local Manchester Eye Care Hospital, where he will need an injection a month for the next year.

“Thankfully, because I was diagnosed so early, there is a chance I can save my eye and maintain some vision,” he says.

“I may not fully get all of my vision back, however if undiagnosed, I could have completely gone blind in that eye.”

He has expressed his gratitude for the Ripon team for their quick response and getting him an emergency appointment and diagnosis so promptly, despite him being miles from home.

“The team at Ripon Specsavers were fantastic and got me in for an appointment straight away and even organised my hospital appointment,” he says.

“All members at the store were incredibly supportive and quick to react.

“I had previously had another good experience with a branch closer to home.

“A routine eye test noticed some new tablets I had been taking were causing me to have spots.

“Upon their advice, I stopped taking the tablets and my conditions quickly got better.

“My experiences show how a routine eye test can help diagnose other worrying health issues.

“I’d urge everyone to book in an eye exam, no matter how small they feel the problem may be.”

Highlighting the value of OCT optical technology, Annette Duffy, director at Specsavers Ripon adds: “We now use OCT machines in many of our stores, which use light to take more than 1,000 images of the back of the eye and optic nerve.

“These machines can locate issues before they become a major issue and help detect diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and even tumours.

“Many people may feel their eyesight is of a high standard, however we are urging people to recognise how our advanced technology and routine eye exams can help detect other health issues.”