Optician visit a stroke of luck for Maureen
A WOMAN’S routine eye test revealed she’d suffered a stroke.
The test left Maureen Afaty having to come to terms with the devastating health blow... and resulted in a dream holiday being cancelled.
The gran- of- three was due to jet off to Rome just two days’ after the test with her hubby, Moss.
She had headaches and reduced vision in her left eye in the lead up to the cruise break.
There tired housing officer hoped an eye checkup and a likely prescription change would alleviate her symptoms.
But opticians told the stunned 64- year- old she had suffered a stroke and sent her to hospital for urgent checks. Now recovering from the health scare, Maureen says she is grateful to the medics who recognised what had happened.
“I knew something wasn’t right with my vision and I was experiencing crippling headaches throughout the week,” she said.
“Initially, I thought my prescription needed updating but when I visited the store and explained my symptoms, they gave me an appointment immediately.
“I thought I’d get a quick eye test and my prescription would be waiting for me when I returned from my cruise with my husband.
“Unfortunately the outcome was more sinister.”
Her optometr ist told Maureen her visual impairment was not limited to her left eye but that she had experienced significant loss of vision in both eyes.
Maureen added: “Looking back, I had shimmering in my eye and nausea but I thought either my prescription was out of date or I had the onset of a migraine.”
Maureen was sent to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where she had a CT scan.
The exploratory procedure revealed she’d had a mini-stroke.
The condition is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. The prompt diagnosis meant the granny was put on a course of medication.
Her optometrist Hanin Al- Rahho, who works at Specsavers in the Forge, Glasgow, insisted Maureen’s case was extremely rare.
She said: “Maureen was one of the unfortunate few.
“When the extent of her visual impairment became clear, particularly in her peripheral vision, I knew very quickly that I would need to refer her to A&E.
“Cases like this are rare but do illustrate the fact that a visit to the opticians can detect signs of a vast number of conditions.”
Maureen added: “I owe my life to the opticians.
“If I hadn’t received my appointment so quickly, the chances are that I could have died on that plane.