'my Eyesight Might Been Saved If I'd Gone To The Optician Sooner'

A female who has been near pinch partial show aft she delayed seeking aesculapian thief said she wishes she had gone to an optician erstwhile she first had symptoms arsenic her imagination could person been saved.

Gail Cairns, from Belfast, started experiencing show loss, headaches, and oculus symptom successful July 2025, but waited 4 days earlier getting her eyes checked.

After being scanned astatine an opticians done a free NHS strategy she was instantly referred to infirmary for treatment.

She had a superior oculus information that had near imperishable damage.

Mrs Cairns was diagnosed pinch Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NA-AION) and Pseudo Foster-Kennedy syndrome.

Detailed scans by nan optician showed harm to her optic nervus because of swelling successful her brain.

She was treated successful infirmary pinch steroids to trim nan swelling, but said "unfortunately nan harm was done".

It has been "life changing" and she tin nary longer drive.

"If I had known astir this information and really quickly things tin change, I would person gone connected nan Monday.

"The likelihood is that I would still beryllium capable to drive, and do each nan normal things that I was doing," she said.

The 60-year-old said day-to-day things for illustration cooking, going up and down stairs, reference to her grandchildren and putting connected make-up are now difficult.

But she said nan "hardest portion was successful nan infirmary whenever my three-year-old granddaughter was sitting connected nan bed, and I couldn't make retired immoderate of her features".

"I conscionable took a lump successful my throat, and it was for illustration personification punched maine successful nan stomach.

"That was nan first clip I teared up complete it," she said.

Mrs Cairns had yearly oculus tests because of a family history of glaucoma but wants to promote anyone pinch abrupt changes successful their eyes to enactment quickly.

"Even nan slightest alteration - don't put it disconnected - get it seen to by an optician immediately."

She is thankful that she has not mislaid her show completely.

Much for illustration a GP, an optometrist is simply a superior attraction provider who is specialised successful detecting and correcting conditions that impact imagination and oculus health.

An optometrist is trained to recognise abnormalities successful eyes, and galore supply enhanced services, including aforesaid time NIPEARS appointments for urgent oculus attraction issues, for illustration really Mrs Cairns was seen.

It is simply a work for patients who person developed a abrupt oculus problem wrong nan erstwhile 14 days, specified as:

• Red eye(s)

• Pain and/or discomfort successful nan eyes, aliases astir nan oculus area

• Sudden simplification successful imagination successful 1 aliases some eyes

• Recent onset aliases abrupt summation of flashes and/or floaters successful 1 aliases some eyes

• Something successful your oculus that you cannot region yourself

The work has been moving since 2018, pinch much than 90% of practices providing nan service, including Sam Baird's successful Dundonald wherever Mrs Cairns went.

"Gail came successful astatine 4 o'clock connected a Friday day pinch very achy eyes, not capable to spot clearly.

"We sewage drops to make her eyes much comfortable. We scanned her and assessed that she needed urgent attraction astatine nan hospital," he said.

He was capable to supply her pinch nan scans of nan optic nerve, "which are diagnostic of nan condition, which meant that erstwhile she sewage to nan Ulster Hospital she was admitted instantly arsenic opposed to waiting for hours".

This meant Mrs Cairns could commencement curen immediately.

Mr Baird stressed nan value of getting your eyes checked arsenic soon arsenic symptoms look arsenic show nonaccomplishment tin hap very quickly.

While he said Mrs Cairn's lawsuit is rare, if she'd travel successful earlier successful nan week location mightiness person been a different outcome.

"Those are nan mini cases wherever it tin make a very melodramatic difference.

"Opticians person nan specialised instrumentality to do due scans and a due investigation of nan eyes - thing that nan emergency room and GPs don't have."

Mr Baird said nan NIPEARS strategy is reducing unit connected "two ends" of nan wellness service.

"We're taking nan unit disconnected nan GPs by taking attraction of insignificant oculus conditions and we're taking unit disconnected nan ophthalmology infirmary clinics because they're not filled pinch unnecessary referrals," he said.

According to nan Royal National Institute of Blind group (RNIB), each time 250 group commencement to suffer their show successful nan UK, which is balanced to 1 personification each six minutes.

The kindness says much than 2 cardinal group are surviving pinch show nonaccomplishment successful nan UK and half of them are unsighted and partially sighted and unrecorded pinch a semipermanent irreversible oculus wellness condition.

The RNIB said it is predicted that by 2050 nan number of group pinch show nonaccomplishment successful nan UK will double to much than 4 million.

In September 2025, the Department of Health (DoH) highlighted nan "vital domiciled of organization optometry successful improving entree to attraction and shaping nan early of eyecare successful Northern Ireland".

Raymond Curran, nan DoH's Head of Ophthalmic Services is encouraging group to look aft their eyes arsenic "50% of each show nonaccomplishment is avoidable".

He said "primary attraction optometrists" should beryllium nan first larboard of telephone for eyes, arsenic GPs are experiencing capacity issues.

ED oculus departments are struggling to header pinch accrued demand.

The DoH said it is committed to making it easier for patients to entree nan attraction they need, and that organization optometry shows really services delivered person to location tin observe problems early, trim waiting lists, and easiness unit connected hospitals.