A PENSIONER’s eyesight has been saved after an optician noticed she had a detached retina.
June Holden, 73, had a shadow in the vision in her right eye and came to Specsavers for help.
Optician Yi Jia quickly saw the problem and warned that she was facing permanent and severe vision loss or blindness.
Yi urged June to go to Southampton General Hospital immediately – but June was unsure and planned to go the next day.
The store staff convinced June to go that afternoon armed with Yi’s letter of recommendation.
Hospital staff saw the problem and June was in surgery to have her retina reattached.
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She said: “The staff at Specsavers were amazing. They were so calm, professional and reassuring.
“If it wasn’t for them, I might have thought the shadow in my vision was nothing, and it might have caused me to lose sight in my right eye.
“I wasn’t in pain from it. I just thought I had a stye coming. So it shows, you should always get your eyes checked if you think there is something wrong. not.
“Chances are it’s nothing, but it might not be nothing and you’ll be so glad you dealt with it.
“The surgeon at the hospital explained that my detached retina was like wallpaper that was coming off the wall and needed to be reattached, which I thought was a good way to explain it.
“I was nervous about the operation, but it was over within half an hour. They were fantastic.
“It’s been a little nerve-wracking all day – but I still have my vision.
“That’s the most important thing. Everything has been amazing. They said there was a possibility of it happening in my left eye, but I’m ready for it now.”
The retina is the layer of light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. It is responsible for receiving light and translating it into electrical signals to send to the brain, where it creates the images we see.
Symptoms of retinal detachment can be flashes of light in the eye, a sudden increase in the number of floaters in one eye, or the appearance of a shadow on a person’s vision.
Specsavers Hedge End Store Manager Sam Thaker said: “We are delighted that June’s story has had such a positive outcome.”
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