Southam mum thanks Specsavers for taking prompt action to save her eyesight

Emma Williams, 54, woke one morning to find her left eye was full of blood and had almost no vision.

She has previously suffered multiple tears to the retinas in both eyes but had never experienced anything this extreme.

After visiting the Banbury branch of Specsavers, Emma was referred immediately to the hospital by optometrist Hamza Mussa.

At the hospital, doctors were able to operate without delay to seal the tear and prevent further impairment to Emma’s vision.

Emma said: “In the past couple of years, I have had several tears in my right eye and another in my left. This time I had so much blood in my eye it had turned bright red and I couldn’t see out of it.

“When I saw Hamza, he told me I had a burst blood vessel and he referred me straight to the John Radcliffe Hospital. The doctors there told me there was so much blood in my eye that they would have to open it up to clean it out, before repairing the tear.

“Since having the operation, I still have some floaters and blobs of jelly in my eye and my vision isn’t back to normal yet, as it is still healing. The doctors have told me my eye will heal, but sometimes in my head, I worry that I’m going to lose my sight.

“I sleep with the light on so, if I wake up, I don’t think I’ve gone blind in the dark.”

Hamza has looked after Emma for several years, so he was familiar with her history and was able to see that she had a severe vitreous haemorrhage.

Emma said: “I am so grateful to Hamza and Specsavers for taking such prompt action to help save my vision from further damage.”

Hamza added: “My advice would be never to leave anything too late and ignore symptoms. If something doesn’t feel right, just get it checked out.

“We recommend having your eyes tested at least every two years unless you have concerns about your sight, in which case it is advisable to

book an appointment sooner.”