Blind luck saves patient’s life
Temporary loss of sight from diabetes sets off alarm
An Auckland man is lucky to be alive after he went temporarily blind due to a diabetic complication he had no idea about.
Martin Taylor-Smith, 54, remembers sitting on the couch in his Mt Eden home when his television became a “complete blur”.
“I couldn’t even see the clock on the wall. Everything was fuzzy, like if you walked past me on the street I couldn’t tell if you were a man or a woman,” Taylor-Smith told the Herald on Sunday.
“It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Taylor-Smith wanted to share his story to help raise awareness about diabetes and the condition’s link to blindness. He hoped to encourage others to get their eyes checked before it’s too late.
Early this year, Taylor-Smith became so severely depressed he tried to quit his job and thought about taking his life.
“A lot of the time I was just sleeping on the couch and it got worse and worse. Then, I was hardly showering and eating nothing at all and just drinking non-alcoholic drinks because I was so thirsty.”
He began vomiting twice a day. He didn’t realise his symptoms were a result of type 2 diabetes — a condition he had no idea he had.
It took him going blind one afternoon in May to get treated.
“I mustered all the energy I could get, booked an Uber and somehow made it to St Lukes mall.”
There he was seen by Specsavers optometrist Karthi Param, who he says saved his life.
“He’s a real hero and needs credit where it’s due,” Taylor-Smith said.
After examining Taylor-Smith, Param quickly contacted his GP asking for a full blood work-up.
“I hadn’t seen a case as serious as Martin was . . . it wasn’t until the next day his doctor contacted me and told me just how bad it was. That was really scary,” Param said.
Taylor-Smith said his doctor pricked his finger to examine his blood sugar levels.
“Her meter couldn’t even read it, so she straight away rang the hospital.”
He doesn’t remember collapsing at Auckland City Hospital. He was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis — a serious complication where the body produces excess blood acids.
Without treatment, Taylor-Smith could have been dead within 24 hours.
“Doctors said the chances were I was heading towards a coma so I could have gone to sleep and never woken up.”
After a week of recovery in hospital his vision came back, though doctors said it will never be what it was. But he said his mental health has improved dramatically.
Monitoring sugar levels, sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle and being aware of other warning signs has now become a part of his daily routine.
“It’s now on me to survive because if I eat healthy, sleep, exercise, all the good things and stay away from all those sugary drinks, then I’ll be fine.”
His message to the community is: “Get checked, go see your GP because it’s a very quick prick of your finger and you could be saved.”
● Where to get help: Call Lifeline on 0800 543 354 or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865.