A WOMAN says that her life has been saved by a routine eye-check after the optician spotted signs she had suffered a stroke.
Maureen Afaty, from Glasgow, was set to jet off to meet a luxury cruise ship in Rome when went to Specsavers for an eye test.
The grandmother-of-three made the appointment after experiencing headaches and reduced vision in one eye, and assumed her glasses needed to be changed.
But Optometrist Hanin Al-Rahho realised her symptoms pointed to something far more serious and insisted she go to hospital where the danger of her condition was revealed.
Mrs Afaty said: "Initially, I thought my prescription needed updating but when I visited the Glasgow Forge store and explained my symptoms, they gave me an appointment immediately.
"I thought I’d get a quick eye test and my prescription would be waiting for me when I returned from my cruise with my husband. Unfortunately the outcome was more sinister.
"Looking back, I had shimmering in my eye and nausea but I thought either my prescription was out of date or I had the onset of a migraine. But when Hanin told me she was referring me to hospital immediately, I knew it was serious and called my husband."
The 60-year-old was sent to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where a CT scan, revealed that she had suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), also known as a ‘mini stroke’.
This is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. A thyroid imbalance was also identified.
Six months on, Maureen is making a strong recovery following treatment and and is aiming to rearrange the dream holiday that was forced to cancel because of the medical emergency.
She said: "I owe my life to Specsavers. If I hadn’t received my appointment so quickly, the chances are that I could have died on that plane. I will never miss an eye examination again."
Optometrist Hanin Al-Rahho, 23, who undertook her training at Glasgow Caledonian University, said it was extremely rare to find such a serious condition when investigating a headache.
She added: "Cases like this are few and far between but do illustrate the fact a visit to the opticians can detect signs of a vast number of conditions. I can’t stress enough the importance of having your eyes regularly tested."
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