Coach boss nearly lost his eyesight
AFATHER-OF-THREE from Runcorn received sight-saving surgery after a ‘minor’ problem turned out to be extremely serious.
Richard Bamber, 49, pictured right, complained about what he thought was ‘a greasy thumb print’ on the lens of his glasses that wouldn’t go away but was unsure about what help he could get during the coronavirus lockdown.
His eyes felt constantly itchy and irritated which prompted him to get eye drops from his local pharmacy.
After the pain continued, Richard sought further professional advice but was still struggling.
He said: “I was at my wit’s end with sore and uncomfortable eyes which wouldn’t clear despite all the treatment and advice I’d received.
“I was on Twitter and happened to spot that Specsavers at Shopping City in Runcorn was still open for urgent and essential care during the Covid-19 pandemic, so I went to the store for advice.”
Optometrist director in the store, Stuart Jones asked him a number of initial triage questions, before inviting him to return to the store for a full examination to dilate his pupils later that day, dilating the pupils allows for a more thorough examination at the back of the eye.
Mr Jones said: “We are seeing customers requiring urgent and essential care while following Government advice on social distancing and hygiene, and it was clear that I needed to examine Mr Bamber further.
After doing so I identified he had a retinal detachment and immediately referred him to St Paul’s Eye Unit at Liverpool Royal Hospital – I knew Mr Bamber would require urgent surgery to save his sight.’
After a complex operation to reattach his retina to its underlying layer of support tissue at the back of the eye, Mr Bamber is recovering well and has been able to slowly return to work at his coach travel company – Anthony’s Travel.
He credits Mr Jones at Specsavers with saving his sight: “If I hadn’t persisted and got another professional opinion, I could’ve lost the sight in one of my eyes, which would have massively impacted my life and work.
“If anyone is struggling with symptoms like mine or any sort of sight or hearing problem, please get yourselves checked out – thanks to Specsavers I was operated on in time. They’ve certainly earned themselves a new customer!”
Mr Jones concludes: “We want local people to know that, despite the current pandemic, they shouldn’t ignore worrying health symptoms as we’re open for essential and urgent care.
“If you are experiencing any optical or audiological symptoms, please don’t hesitate to call the store as our team in on hand to help.”
Specsavers’ teams are classed as key workers to provide urgent and essential eye care to those who need it.
This includes supporting other key workers who couldn’t function without their help and people who would come to harm without their health expertise, especially where the usual hospital services and NHS facilities are being prioritised for the fight against COVID-19.