Eye test helps save teen’s sight

A TEENAGER from Mulhuddart has expressed gratitude to staff at a local opticians who saved her eyesight.

Haliyah Kanimodo began suffering terrible headaches and double vision last November. The 15-year-old was losing sleep and her school work was being affected.

She made an appointment for an eye examination at her local Vision Express store where optometrist, Maria Fitzpatrick, carried out three separate examinations.

Maria detected that Haliyah’s optic disc was swollen and believed she may have had pressure on her brain, which she believed needed to be treated as soon as possible.

The local youngster made an immediate appointment to see an eye specialist and after CT and MRI scans, Haliyah found she had hypertensive retinopathy, which can cause damage to the blood vessels in the retina.

Haliyah is now on treatment for the condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

“I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if I didn’t visit Vision Express,” she said.

“I am hugely grateful to the staff members for treating me so quickly and for taking care of me as they did.

“I was extremely scared, but the staff kept me calm and reassured me throughout.

“My doctor highlighted that if I did not get my eyes tested at Vision Express, I may have lost my vision completely in my left eye.”

Haliyah is on medication, with the hope that in six months, the condition will be treated completely.

A recent survey commissioned by Vision Express in Ireland revealed that a third of respondents hadn’t had an eye test in four years or more, with a worrying six per cent never having had an eye exam, and a further 41 per cent not having had an eye test in the past two years.

During the recent nationwide Healthy Eyes Awareness Week Vision Express brought its mobile ‘Vision Van’ around Dublin and found some locals with undiagnosed eye problems.

Bibi Carriy (31) from Dublin 7 took her first eye test ever at the van on Henry Street.

Her colleagues and friends noticed she was squinting a lot and she often experienced headaches while watching TV.

Vision Van optometrist Sarah Fitzpatrick prescribed Bibi glasses for detailed and concentrated work, and Bibi has promised to also get her daughter’s eyes tested in the coming weeks.

Martin Keoghan from Blanchardstown also visited the Vision Van to avail of a free eye test, as he was suffering from regular headaches. Martin (34), who drives for a living, had never completed an eye test before, but after his eye exam, was prescribed distant lenses, which will correct his vision and in turn, address his ongoing headaches.

“It is not a legal requirement for me to get my eyes tested for work, so I never thought of completing a test,” Martin said.

“I recently started to get headaches and felt that my eyes just weren’t right, so when I saw the Vision Van was in Blanchardstown, I decided to make a visit. The staff members were extremely helpful and the test was so short, only 15 minutes, so I am delighted I dropped by.”