A 23-year-old woman who was misdiagnosed with Covid-19 by doctors has thanked Kings Hill Opticians in Kent for identifying the cause of her symptoms.
Amandeep Bains experienced rashes and joint pain in January, which doctors initially told her was caused by eczema and arthritis.
Her symptoms then became more severe with headaches, dizziness and short blackouts, which lead to doctors to amend the diagnosis to Covid-19.
Bains decided to contact her uncle Satvinder Shoker, principal optometrist at Kings Hill Opticians, who told her to attend the practice the following day for tests.
He found haemorrhages in the blood vessels behind both of his niece’s eyes and her optic nerves were swollen.
Shoker said: ‘I sent her straight to the Prince Charles Eye Unit in Windsor and gave her copies of all the scans that I had taken, so that she could give them to whoever saw her.’
Bains received further tests which revealed that she had a blood clot on her brain caused by underlying conditions that she was unaware of – Lupus and Hughes Syndrome.
Bains said: ‘If Satvinder hadn’t told me to come in I would’ve stayed at home because it was right in the middle of lockdown and I wasn’t able to see a doctor in person; they couldn’t diagnose me because it was all done over the phone.’