Semi-retired former policeman David Ainge had been complaining of blocked sinuses, only to find out, minutes after two consultations, that he had a detached retina that could send him blind if not treated immediately.
Keen rugby coach David, woke up one morning and was complaining of flashes of lightning in his eye.
"I could see flashes of light and a black dot in the corner of my eye, I though it was a floater."
2 weeks passed and the black dot had moved across the eye, getting bigger and blurring the vision more.
David had an appointment with a sinus specialist in London to try to resolve an ongoing problem with his nose.
He arranged to see a specialist about his sinus, with the intent to return home with some antibiotics, at most.
During the consultation David mentioned that his right eye was a bit blurred at times, and wondered if the nasal drops he was taking could be affecting that.
"I thought I'd ask whilst I had a doctor present as I thought it could be linked, the black dot was like a curtain moving across my eye."
The doctor told him that the drops shouldn't affect his vision and suggested he go to the walk in eye clinic.
Upon arrival at the eye clinic, David was seen immediately and during the consultation told that he needed to be operated on today.
"After the doctor had examined my eye he said: 'You're not going anywhere Mr Aigne, we’re operating this afternoon, you have a detached retina.'"
David’s appointment was at 3:30pm, so he had time to contact his wife and son to tell them what had happened.
David's wife Barbara, a nurse of over 25 years, received a phone call from David, explaining what had happened.
"I was looking after Elanora, our granddaughter, when he rang me, I got straight on the train to London and met him at the surgery.
"I was worried as I thought it could be a brain tumour."
David had an anaesthetic before the surgery began to dumb the pain.
"The anaesthetic was very painful, I couldn't see a thing after that it was just light and dark.
"They had to clamp my eye open in order to operate on it, which sounds painful but it wasn't at all."
The operation lasted about an hour, after which David was given an eye patch to wear and told how to treat his eye after the surgery.
"They told me I had to lean forward for 15 hours after the surgery," David laughs.
“I was even leaning forward on the Tube, people were looking at me as if I were mad.
“When I got home and went to bed, I had to lay with my head over the bed to sleep which was not the most comfortable position.”
David had to wear his eye patch and was given eye drops which had to be taken 4 times a day.
“I couldn't see for 10 days after the operation, there was a big dark circle over my eye which started to decrease over the 10 days.
"I still suffer from itching now, however it is much much better, when my eyes are tired they get sore and heavy but its definitely improving.
“I'm very lucky, very very lucky, if I didn't ask the first doctor I had seen about my nose, I would be blind today."
Although David was very lucky, he did express some annoyance.
“The thing that I'm mad about is that the optician never tells you anything about this, surely they should make it a known issue and advise people to get their eyes tested regularly.
“Nobody knows about it until it happens to them.
“I still had perfect vision before, and wouldn’t have known anything unless I didn’t mention the black dot to the doctor.”
Advice from doctors
Doctor Don Park an eye specialist from Western Eye Hospital, London, explained the signs that show a detached retina.
Dots or lines (floaters) suddenly appear in your vision or suddenly increase in number, you get flashes of light in your visionYou have a dark 'curtain; or shadow moving across your vision.
Doctor Don Park advised:
"You should seek urgent medical attention if any of these signs occur, as if not treated straight away you could risk losing your vision."
