A Kirkby nurse is encouraging others not to neglect their vision after she nearly lost her sight.

Fortunately, the 40-year-old mother of two made the right call when she started to experience blurry vision, making an appointment at Specsavers, Sutton-in-Ashfield.  There, thanks to the expertise of the team and hospital grade equipment available, a sight threatening condition was detected just in the nick of time.

Charlene Roe has been a long-standing customer of the store and with a high prescription she was used to visiting the practice regularly, so when her vision deteriorated she decided to make an appointment for a sight test.

Sunny Boyal optometrist at the store, carried out a full eye examination, which included using an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) machine that provided a detailed structural scan of the eye, including layers that would not normally be visible using traditional eye testing techniques.

“As a nurse I know the importance of not neglecting any untoward health symptoms, but having said that I simply thought I needed new glasses,” said Charlene. “So when Sunny said he had detected some fluid at the back of my eye I was shocked.”

Charlene was referred immediately to King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton, where she was seen by an ophthalmologist who confirmed that the fluid was causing the blurred vision, and that she would need to go to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.

There Charlene was diagnosed with myopic choroidal neovascularisation (myopic CNV), which is where there is growth of new blood vessels at the macula. It’s a rare condition that can affect people with high prescriptions and requires treatment – injections in the eye to help reduce the growth of new, leaky blood vessels and the swelling they may cause.

“There wasn’t any time to think, if I left the situation any longer, I risked losing my sight,” added Charlene.

Now Charlene is under the care of the King’s Mill Hospital, with OCT scans every six to eight weeks and injections in her eye when needed.  She also maintains her routine eye examinations at Specsavers, Sutton.

“I can honestly say if it hadn’t been for the OCT scan and Sunny’s swift response, I would have lost my sight,” said Charlene. ‘That’s why I always encourage those around me to not put off seeing their optician and would highly recommend opting for an OCT scan too.”

“We’re delighted that we were able to help identify Charlene’s condition,” added Specsavers Sutton store director, Nigel Davidson. “Cases likes Charlene’s are rare, but what her story does show is the importance of never neglecting anything unusual around your vision. The sooner lots of these types of conditions are picked up the better.”