How quick thinking saved Belfast woman’s sight after potentially threatening diagnosis

She had been experiencing a painful, red eye for five days

A Belfast woman has opened up about her potentially sight-threatening diagnosis after visiting her local optician when she experienced a minor eye condition.

Rachel Clarke had been experiencing a painful, red eye for five days before she called her GP, who told her to contact her local opticians at Specsavers Park Centre.

Rachel was told to come in for an appointment the same day. Following a thorough examination by store director, Matthew McKenny, she was referred to the eye casualty at the Royal Victoria Hospital where she was diagnosed with microbial keratitis, a potentially sight-threatening corneal infection if not treated early.

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“Rachel presented with a painful, red, light sensitive, watering eye, with blurred vision and she was finding it extremely difficult to open her eye due to the pain and sensitivity to light. I first took a detailed history of her current symptoms and previous ocular history, before measuring her vision which was much worse in the right eye,” Matthew said.

“Examination of the front of Rachel’s eye using a special microscope and a dye called Fluorescein revealed large corneal scarring with haze of the cornea. Due to these findings, I referred Rachel directly to eye casualty at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where she received an appointment the following morning.”

Rachel had to undergo intensive treatment for six weeks, as she explains: “I had to administer 30 drops in my eye each day with visits to the hospital multiple times a week. Upon finishing my treatment, I returned to the Specsavers store and had an eye test with Matthew. He fitted me with glasses with a new prescription and provided additional aftercare to prevent the condition returning.”

She added: “I was told at the hospital that I was very lucky not to lose the sight in my right eye, so I am so grateful that I went to Specsavers when I did. Matthew at the Park Centre store was incredible. He gave me a good understanding of what was wrong, he was very supportive and reassuring and kept in touch through my treatment to ensure everything was going well.

“When I called the store, I got an appointment on the same day which was brilliant. I would urge anyone to turn to Specsavers when they are experiencing problems with their eyes or sight of any kind. People often think the Specsavers stores are just for eye tests or hearing checks, but they do so much more! I wish to thank Matthew and everyone at the Specsavers Park Centre store for helping me get the right treatment that saved my eyesight.”

Specsavers recently launched a campaign in Northern Ireland to encourage people to act fast when faced with sudden eye problems.

The company, which has 24 locally owned and run stores in Northern Ireland, is encouraging people who notice a sudden change or problem with their eyes and vision, to phone their local Specsavers store in the first instance, rather than potentially putting additional pressure on their local GP or other NHS services.

This could include blurred or cloudy vision, loss of vision, floaters, flashing lights, red eyes or sensitivity to light, as well as eye irritation, inflammation, swollen or puffy eye lids or ingrowing eyelashes.

To bring this important message to life, Specsavers has partnered with Paddy Raff, local comedian and musician, who performed a specially written song, encouraging people to act at the first sign of eye trouble.

Matthew added: “Here at Specsavers we are specialists in eyecare. We have a wealth of experience and the latest equipment to ensure we can triage, diagnose, treat and manage minor eye conditions appropriately, referring to our colleagues in the hospital eye service where appropriate.

“Early diagnosis and treatment generally always lead to the best outcomes, so it’s important people get in touch as soon as symptoms develop. We are here to help and care for all our patients and always want the best outcomes for everyone.”

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