'I thought I just had a stye - my optician's quick thinking saved me from going blind'

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE: Susan Dolan thought she just had the beginnings of a stye - but when she visited her optician, she was ordered to go straight to hospital

A woman's eye was saved when an optician spotted a serious infection during an emergency appointment.

Susan Dolan, 57, thought she had the beginnings of a stye but, within 24 hours of popping into her opticians, she was on her way for emergency surgery.

The logistics worker, from Houston, Renfrewshire, said: "The surgeon explained to me that if I had left it for another 24 hours, I could have lost my sight, or even my eye.

"It was thanks to [optician] Gemma’s rapid response that thankfully I still have my vision. I was probably the last thing she wanted to see when closing after a busy Saturday but thank goodness she was able to seek out the correct treatment for me."

Susan was assessed by Gemma Hill, optometrist and owner of Hill Eyecare in Paisley, Renfrewshire, after visiting when she had a pain above her right eyebrow and some itchiness.

Gemma noticed clouding across the cornea as well as the swelling. She immediately made her an urgent out-of-hours referral to ophthalmology at Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, the next day.

By then, she was unable to open her eye and after a brief consultation was transferred to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where she was diagnosed with orbital cellulitis.

The condition is an infection of soft tissue and requires emergency surgery. It comes with the risk of significant complications including loss of vision, abscess formation, thrombosis, meningitis and sepsis that could lead to death.

Later that day, she had surgery to remove pressure caused by the infection. The surgical team had to remove parts of her nasal passages and bone from behind her eye, to alleviate the strain and stop the infection from spreading, reports Daily Record.

Susan is now recovering at home. Gemma said: "I hope that by Susan sharing her story, others will know who to call in a similar situation."