A ROUTINE eye examination at an Evesham opticians has saved the sight of a 13-year-old girl.
Lily O’Kane and her mother, Deborah, visited Specsavers in Bridge Street last November, expecting nothing more than a routine check-up.
During the eye examination, however, optometrist, Sabina Leung noticed a significant change.
Optometrist Sabina Leung. s
A change that could have had catastrophic consequences for the teenager also from Evesham.
“Lily was my last appointment of the day,’ said Sabina. “I became concerned when I noticed her vision had reduced dramatically in her right eye.
“I decided to carry out a more comprehensive examination of the eye alongside an optical coherence tomography scan, which provided a detailed image of the eye and led me to suspect a retinal detachment.
“This is where the retina – the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye – pulls away from the supporting tissue and blood vessels behind it.
“Because it loses its blood and oxygen supply, the detached part stops working, causing vision loss,” she explained.
Lily and her dog Cwtch. s
Sabina referred Lily to the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) for urgent investigation.
“It was so unexpected, especially as Lily hadn’t complained of any symptoms,” said mum Deborah.
“We’d planned a quiet evening at home and suddenly we were rushing to Birmingham for an emergency appointment.”
Consultants confirmed Lily was suffering from retinal detachments in both her eyes, in a condition rarely seen in teenagers.
To save her sight, she underwent surgery the following day to fit a scleral band on her right eye, where the damage was far more severe.
At the same time, laser surgery was performed on her left eye, which was then fitted with its own scleral band in February.
After months of monitoring at BMEC, Lily’s vision has stabilised, and she has since returned to the team at Specsavers to be fitted with new glasses.
Deborah said: ‘If we hadn’t gone to that appointment, we wouldn’t have known something was wrong until it was too late.
“We can’t thank Sabina and the rest of the team enough for their swift action and support – it saved Lily’s sight.”
People should have an eye test once every two years, but if they experience any changes to their vision, Sabrina recommends making an appointment with your optician as soon as possible.
“Cases like Lily’s remind us why regular eye examinations are so vital,” added Sabina.
“It’s not just about testing vision, it’s about checking overall eye health as well.”
