Woman's optician visit after driving test number plate trouble saves her sight

Artist Cordelia DeVere, from Ludlow, visited her local branch after she was unable to read a number plate from 20 metres away as part of her driving test.

Ms DeVere, aged 68, had an eye examination only eight months prior to her appointment.

But she felt that something wasn’t quite right and so decided to get some advice at a new appointment in September.

Optometrist Sophie Wragg quickly picked up that all wasn’t as it should be with Ms DeVere’s left eye.

She said: "Through the eye examination and by using the Optical Coherence Tomography machine, which provides a detailed structural scan of the eye, I could see a lot of fluid in the retina.

"I suspected that Ms DeVere had a branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)."

The retina is the light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye.

It’s responsible for receiving light and translating it into electrical signals to send to the brain, where it creates the images we see.

A blockage in the retinal vein causes blood and fluid to spill out into the retina, affecting vision.

Ms DeVere said: "Although the BRVO had been caught fairly early, Sophie explained that I needed to go to hospital before it got any worse and so she called Hereford County Hospital for a referral.

"I had an appointment with a consultant two weeks later, so it all happened quite quickly."

At the hospital the consultant confirmed the diagnosis and advised that Ms DeVere would need a series of injections in her eye to drain the fluid from her retina.

"I’m really glad that I went into Specsavers when I did, otherwise I may have lost the sight in that eye,’ adds Ms DeVere.

"I’m extremely grateful for the quick and professional service I received from Sophie and the team at Specsavers and for the care from the staff at Hereford County Hospital. I feel very lucky."

Ms DeVere is halfway through her course of injections, and is feeling confident that her vision will improve.

Sophie adds: "I’m so pleased that Ms DeVere’s treatment is going well.

"Cases like hers aren’t uncommon and they demonstrate the importance of OCT scans when detecting abnormal eye conditions.

"I’d advise anyone who has noticed changes with their vision to speak to their local optician for peace of mind."