A YORK man was rushed into surgery following a routine eye test.

Ian Wenman, 59, who lives in Piccadilly and is a support worker for the Peasholme Charity, found out his sight could be at risk after an appointment at Specsavers York.

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"I’ve always suffered with limited vision in my eye, so hadn’t noticed anything was wrong until suspecting I had a droopy eyelid, which was the main reason I decided to make an appointment." said Ian.

Following an OCT (optical coherence tomographyscan), which takes a 3D image of the back of your eye to help sport serious eye conditions, the Specsavers optician noted Ian’s loss of sight across half his upper vision and was noticeably concerned. Ian was booked for an immediate appointment at York hospital eye clinic for the same day.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Ian was seen immediately on the eye ward and was advised that he needed emergency surgery for the following day. He was diagnosed with a retinal detachment, where a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye becomes loose, and if left untreated, could cause permanent vision loss or blindness.

Ian said: "I was told by doctors that the severity of the tear in my eye was the worst it could have been, so was very lucky to be seen when I was. I am extremely grateful to Specsavers York for the speed and expertise at my appointment, including a quick referral to hospital on the same day."

Ian has had his first initial surgery and is recovering well but will need to have a second follow up procedure in the coming month.

Charlotte Turner, Ophthalmic Director at Specsavers York said: "We’re really pleased to hear that Ian is recovering well from his surgery and are thankful that he came into store for an OCT and we could pick up that there was a problem.

"It goes to show just how important having a regular eye examination is. The technology in our OCT scans is designed to pick up more serious conditions, so we would recommend anyone worried about an underlying problem to have one of these scans at their next appointment. 

"If you can't visit one of our 1,000 locally-owned stores unaccompanied, due to disability or illness, we support access to eye health for all via our Home Visits service, which covers more than 90 per cent of the UK."

York Press: Ian Wenman with staff at Specsavers YorkIan Wenman with staff at Specsavers York (Image: Specsavers)