A Ross-on-Wye electronics engineer is urging others to get their eyes tested this month, after he was diagnosed with a detached retina. The crucial sight-saving referral prompted him to urge others to have a free eye test at Vision Express this Road Safety Week (November 20th – 26th), to give their eye health the green light and avoid losing their licence all together.

Gerald Cook had been driving when he noticed a worrying change in his vision in March this year.

The 60-year-old says: “I was driving home from a gig one night – I play the saxophone in a concert band in Hereford – and my vision seemed a bit fuzzy. Throughout the next morning, I kept seeing a shadow when I looked up to the right. I initially thought there was something on the outside of my eye but the speed it was growing made me suspicious.

“After calling Vision Express Hereford, I was advised to go to the store immediately. I think they determined what could be wrong from the description I gave.”

Gerald was seen within an hour by optometrist Paul Royds.

Paul said: “Following a thorough eye examination, I could see what appeared to be a detachment without needing to dilate him, so I wrote him a letter and told him to go straight to the hospital.

“If we had delayed the referral, the retina could potentially have detached completely and he could have lost his sight.”

Paul informed Gerald that the fact he had undergone cataract surgery previously could have played a part in his retina detaching. He adds: “People who are extremely short-sighted, those who are older and anyone who has previously had cataract surgery are more prone to retinal detachment. It can also be caused by an injury or blow to the head or eye.”

Gerald was rushed directly to Hereford County Hospital’s eye clinic and was pushed up the surgery waiting list, to be operated on that night.

Gerald said: “It all happened so fast - by the time they operated, two thirds of the vision in my right eye had gone. Time was critical and even a couple more hours of waiting would have made a massive difference. In fact, I was told if I had left it another day, my vision could have been completely lost in that eye.”

Gerald is now backing the Road Safety Week 2017 campaign by Vision Express, which is offering a free eye test for all, in a bid to reduce road incidents attributed to poor sight. Around 2,900 road casualties per year are thought to be down to people getting behind the wheel with below-par vision.

Visit www.visionexpress.com to download a voucher.