A student midwife from Mold, Wales has described how a routine eye test saved her life after she was diagnosed with raised pressure inside her skull.
Sian King, 25, had decided to book an eye exam at her local Specsavers after experiencing mild eye strain to which she blamed looking at a computer screen every day.
However, after optometrist director Keith Martin noticed that his patient’s optic discs had swollen considerably since her last visit, King was referred to Abergele Eye Hospital.
Undergoing a CT scan, the results revealed that the 25-year-old had raised pressure inside her skull and would need surgery.
‘If it hadn’t had been picked up by Keith at Specsavers, I would have continued walking around as a ticking time bomb. The doctors told me I could have suffered from a stroke, a brain aneurism, or gone blind had I not been treated so quickly,’ said King.
Since then, King has undergone a lumbar puncture to remove fluid from her brain and is now recovering, following a successful procedure.
Specsavers Mold optometrist director said: ‘This case in particular highlights just how important it is to have a regular eye test. We recommend everyone has an eye test at least every two years, or whenever they notice even a small change to their vision or eye health.’