A newly qualified Exeter optometrist has been praised for helping to save the sight in a woman’s right eye.
Zoe Rutter, 39, had been suffering with severe headaches and was initially going to book an appointment with her GP, but decided she would be better off seeing an optician first, so booked anappointment at the locally owned and run Specsavers Exeter store.
She says: ‘Mark Stemp was the optician who saw me.He was really good. He did various tests on my eyes, but was concerned about what he found.
‘He was really kind and reassuring, but he did stress that I needed go to hospital immediately. I asked him if I could leave it a day or two, but he said I needed to go straightaway.
‘I went to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where they did more tests, and they said I had a detached retina in my right eye.
‘I had to go back to the hospital for surgery and they said my vision in that eye will be blurry for the rest of my life, but I would’ve lost my sight completely if it hadn’t been detected when it was.
‘If I hadn’t gone to Specsavers, I would not have known about it, so I’m incredibly grateful to Mark for spotting it and urging me to go to hospital.
‘A few days after I’d been to hospital, Mark called me to see how I was, and I really appreciated that.’
Zoe had not been going for regular eye tests, but she said she will in future – and is now urging others to do the same.
She adds: ‘The thing is, I was going to cancel my appointment at the store, but my friend convinced me to go ahead with it. If she hadn’t, I would’ve gone blind in my right eye.
‘I didn’t have regular eye tests, but I should’ve because there was no connection between my headaches and the detached retina. It was incredibly lucky that I went to Specsavers at all, so it’s really important for people to keep up with their eye tests.
‘You never know what they might find, and it’s always better to catch these things early so something can be done about it. No-one wants to lose their sight.’
Mark qualified as an optometrist last August, having been with Specsavers for nine years. In addition, he recently began a professional certification in glaucoma at the University of Plymouth.
He says: ‘It’s great to hear that Zoe is okay and that her sight has been saved in her right eye. Successful outcomes like this are the reason I do this job.
‘And Zoe’s right about urging people to have regular eye tests. They mean that people like me can detect signs of conditions early on and then refer the person for treatment. The earlier these things are found, the better.
‘I hope that stories like Zoe’s inspire others to keep up their regular eye health checks – because not everyone realises that the sight test is more than just whether you need glasses or not.’
The Specsavers Exeter store is open seven days a week, or customers can call 01392 210604.
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