Leeds grandmother's life-saving surgery after visit to opticians uncovers signs of stroke

Lyn Inman, a 69-year-old retired charity worker, contacted Brosgill Opticians in Roundhay when she had a loss of vision in the top of her left eye just before the second lockdown.

Her usual optometrist, Pritpal Summan, was on a day off when she called but, upon hearing her symptoms, rushed into practice to examine her.

That decision, Lyn says, potentially saved her life as the loss of vision she was experiencing was actually a sign that she had had an ‘eye stroke’.

"I only really noticed the issue when I was doing things like showering, and I realised I couldn’t see when I closed my right eye," Lyn said. "I didn’t for one second think it could be a stroke, I thought I had just left a contact lens in.

"I think I was very lucky that Pritpal reacted as quickly as he did. In all honesty, if this would have been left any longer it could have been fatal.”

After tests at the practice, and upon deducing Lyn’s symptoms were serious, Pritpal referred her to St James’s Hospital. Medics there confirmed Lyn had experienced a branch retinal artery occlusion, which was the reason for her loss of sight.

Lyn was referred to Leeds General Infirmary's stroke and cardiac departments and had an operation within days on the carotid artery in her neck, which was the source of the blockage behind her stroke.

"Obviously it was a massive shock as I never thought it would be that serious," she said. "It was around the time of heading into the second lockdown, so the worry of going into hospital did prey on my mind. But the fear of catching something whilst I was there was not as great as the fear of the stroke, so it had to be sorted and the hospital was superb.

"There was clearly a blockage and it had gone to the eye not the brain, so I know that it could have been so much worse. If it went to the brain or I left it any longer that would have been it for me."

Following the surgery, from which she is now fully recovered, Lyn has made a drastic lifestyle change to prevent it happening again.

She said: "At the hospital, after the diagnosis, they told me I need to stop smoking - so after 50 years, I stopped immediately. The whole thing was really quite a life-changer.

"I knew I needed to stop before, but it is surprising what you can do once things are somewhat different in your life. I have been married for 49 years, have four young grandchildren and two children and I want to be here a lot longer, so I needed to change."

Pritpal was able to spot the issue in Lyn’s eye through the use of the practice’s Optomap machine, which allows optometrists to see up to 80 per cent of the retina in an incredibly detailed image.

As Lyn had only had a check-up at the practice around five months earlier, Pritpal was able to compare the two images. He found an embolus at the eye’s optic disc, which was the cause of the blockage.

Pritpal said: "This is an important example of how technology like our Optomap is allowing us to provide potentially life-saving diagnoses. As Lyn had been to the practice previously and had the Optomap images taken of her eyes, we could see the difference between the images which made the analysis much easier.

"It also shows how having regular eye tests is vital, as Lyn’s case shows how quickly things can change. Issues with your eyes can be signs of serious health problems so if you have any change in your vision you should always seek the guidance of your optician.

"We are very happy that Lyn has made a full recovery, especially as it could have been much worse. Opticians across the country have played a vital role in reducing the pressure on the NHS during the pandemic and we are very pleased we could help in this scenario."

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