A FATHER-of-two who thought he had an infection in his eye soon discovered he nearly lost his sight.

John Linnard, 52, was driving when he suddenly felt discomfort in his right eye and had flashing lights in his vision.

Initially the father-of-two dismissed it as an infection – he had worn contact lenses for about 30 years and had previously had a similar problem.

But by the following day he still had vision problems and decided to pop in to his optician to get it checked out.

After he explained his symptoms, Mr Linnard was seen immediately and optometrist Fozia Parveen detected a problem with his retina – the part of the eye which receives an image and sends a message to the brain.

She urgently contacted the eye department at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital and Mr Linnard, of Oxlip Leys, Bicester, was seen the next day.

He was told his retina was torn and partially detached and would have become fully detached very quickly if he wasn’t treated.

Within 72 hours he had an operation that effectively saved his sight.

The procedure – called cryo- surgery – was carried out under local anaesthetic.

Mr Linnard said: “If I hadn’t received treatment immediately, the consequences could have been very serious.

“I’m so relieved that I didn’t dismiss my symptoms and decided to have my eyesight checked out when I did.

“Without addressing my symptoms it could have been very different.

“The hospital were amazing, but they would not have had the chance to be amazing if Fozia had not seen the tear.”

Afterwards Mr Linnard did research on retinal detachment and discovered that once the retina becomes detached people can lose their sight within four to five days.

Now the business consultant is urging people to have regular check-ups and go to an optician urgently if there is any change in their vision.

He said: “It’s not until you experience something like this that you realise how important it is to check the health of your eyes.”

Ms Parveen, of Specsavers, in Crown Walk, Bicester, said: “Mr Linnard’s case highlights the importance of regular eye examinations.

“If the customer’s symptoms had gone unnoticed, his sight would have been put at great risk.

“Mr Linnard could easily have dismissed his symptoms, but by coming in he helped to save his sight.”

Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying support.

Without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. The condition is more common in people in their 40s and 50s and the elderly, or after a trauma to the eye.

As well as testing whether patients need glasses, an optometrist can pick up a number of conditions including:

  • Diabetes
  • Heart problems
  • Cancers of the eye
  • Brain tumours
  • Detached retina