Visit to Blankstone Opticians saved Kate’s sight

Visit to Blankstone Opticians saved Kate’s sight

A customer of Blankstone Opticians who described her last few months as a rollercoaster ride following a health scare is well on the way to a full recovery after we detected a serious eye condition.

Kate Masher, 52, who proudly revealed that she had never been admitted to hospital but had always maintained regular check-ups with us visited Blankstone Opticians in the spring.

At a routine appointment she told us: “During my eye exam, the optometrist using advanced technology called OCT and field testing revealed that i had a suspected Pituitary Adenoma!

“I was shocked! Admittedly, I was struggling with emails and word documents…I began to see what looked like squiggles on my keyboard but put my deteriorating vision down to long hours working from home and the glare of a nearby window.”

Kate’s loss of field vision was so serious that there was a possibility that if left unchecked she would have lost her sight. 

We immediately referred her to Arrowe Park and following an MRI scan and transfer to the Walton Centre, within three weeks she had been diagnosed with a pituitary gland tumour and received surgical treatment.

Mark Blankstone said: “Kate has been convalescing and happily is in recovery with her vision saved. Fortunately she is meticulous with keeping and attending regular check-ups which saved her vision. As a layperson, she would never have realised that she actually had a tumour squashing her optic nerve. Naturally, we continue to encourage anyone with any sight or related problems to contact us immediately.”

Kate added:  “I can’t thank Mark and his team enough for what they did along with the wonderful medical teams who put me on the road to recovery. Initially, I started thinking about not being able to drive or be self-sufficient and then thought about what if lost my vision?! It was a really frightening time and a reminder about how our sight is priceless. it’s so important to maintain regular eye check-ups. The team at Blankstone Opticians spent a lot of time with me too and did every test possible to assess what was going on. I am eternally grateful to them!”