BBC Wales Presenter, Lucy Owen, 52, Eyesight Saved By Routine Test [View all]

[appalachiablue]

- BBC Wales presenter Lucy Owen's eyesight saved by routine test, By Lucy Owen, BBC News, Oct. 2, 2023. 👓

I have a confession to make. I haven't always been to the opticians as regularly as I should, despite being a devoted contact lens wearer since the age of 16. I often forgot to book the annual check-up before realising it had been three years since my last appointment. I won't be doing that any more.

That's because what I thought was just another check-up led to emergency surgery that saved the sight in one of my eyes.

In June, I noticed I'd started getting occasional white flashes in my right eye, particularly when I looked to the side. It didn't happen that often, perhaps once or twice a day, and although it struck me as a little unusual, I didn't rush to get it checked out. I googled the symptoms - it looked like something that can happen with age, or possibly a detached retina.

With my 52nd birthday around the corner, I rolled my eyes and assumed it must be another one of the joys of getting older. A few weeks later, with the flashes continuing randomly, I realised I'd managed to lose both my pairs of specs. Vaguely concerned about wearing my contact lenses too much, I booked an appointment at the opticians on my local high street to invest in some new glasses and thought I'd mention those silly white flashes at the same time.

Settling into the optometrist's, I still had no real concerns. Usual failure to read any of the letters on the chart? No biggie. But I noticed the optometrist kept returning to my right eye, shining in a bright light and looking inside with a strong magnifying lens. He explained to me that my retina was in the process of detaching and those flashes had been a sign. He told me there was a chance the retina could detach very quickly and, once this had happened, nothing could be done to repair it. I would lose my sight in that eye.

It was a shock...https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-66935226
------------
👁Take care of your eyes. A detached retina can be serious as explained in this article. Myopia- nearsightedness, esp. high myopia, older in age, family history of retina problems, a physical blow to the head or other injury, infection and more can be factors.