Woman left with partial vision after waiting four days for eye check

A woman who lost partial sight after delaying seeking medical attention has said she wishes she had seen an optician at the first symptoms because her vision could have been saved.

Gail Cairns, from Belfast, began suffering vision loss, headaches and eye pain in July 2025, but waited four days before having her eyes checked.

After being scanned at an optician as part of a free NHS scheme, she was immediately referred to hospital for treatment.

She suffered from a serious eye disease that left permanent damage.

Ms Cairns was diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) and pseudo-Foster-Kennedy syndrome.

Detailed scans by the optician showed damage to his optic nerve due to swelling in his brain.

She was treated in hospital with steroids to reduce the swelling, but said “unfortunately the damage was done.”

It “changed her life” and she can no longer drive.

“If I had known about this situation and how quickly things can change, I would have gone there on Monday.

“It’s likely I would still be able to drive and do all the normal things I did,” she said.

The 60-year-old said everyday things like cooking, going up and down the stairs, reading to her grandchildren and applying makeup are now difficult.

But she said “the hardest part was in the hospital when my three-year-old granddaughter was sitting on the bed and I couldn’t see any of her features.”

“I just had a lump in my throat, and it felt like someone punched me in the stomach.

“It was the first time I cried about it,” she said.

Ms Cairns has had annual eye exams due to a family history of glaucoma, but wants to encourage anyone experiencing sudden changes in their eyes to act quickly.

“Even the slightest change – don’t delay – have it examined by an optician immediately.”

She is grateful that she has not completely lost her sight.

Just like a general practitioner, an optometrist is a primary care provider who specializes in detecting and correcting conditions that affect vision and eye health.

An optometrist is trained to recognize eye abnormalities, and many provide enhanced services, including same-day NIPEARS appointments for urgent eye problems, like how Ms Cairns was seen.

This is a service for patients who have developed a sudden eye problem in the previous 14 days, such as:

• Pain and/or discomfort in or around the eyes

• Sudden reduction in vision in one or both eyes

• Recent onset or sudden increase in flashes and/or floaters in one or both eyes

• Something in your eyes that you can’t take away yourself

The service has been operating since 2018, with more than 90% of practices providing the service, including Sam Baird’s in Dundonald where Ms Cairns visited.

“Gail arrived at 4pm on a Friday afternoon with very sore eyes, unable to see clearly.

“We were given drops to make her eyes more comfortable. We examined her and assessed that she needed urgent care at the hospital,” he said.

He was able to provide her with optic nerve scans, “which can diagnose the condition, which meant that when she arrived at Ulster Hospital she was admitted straight away instead of waiting for hours.”

This meant Ms Cairns could start treatment straight away.

Baird stressed the importance of getting your eyes checked as soon as symptoms appear, as vision loss can occur very quickly.

Although he said Ms Cairn’s case was rare, if she had come earlier in the week the outcome might have been different.

“It’s the small cases where it can make a very dramatic difference.

“Opticians have the specialist equipment to carry out proper scans and proper investigation of the eyes – something emergency departments and GPs don’t have.”

Mr Baird said the NIPEARS system reduces pressure on “two ends” of the health service.

“We take the pressure off GPs by taking care of minor eye conditions and we take the pressure off hospital eye clinics because they are not full of unnecessary referrals,” he said.

According to the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), every day, 250 people begin to lose their sight in the UK, which equates to one person every six minutes.

The charity says more than two million people live with vision loss in the UK and half of them are blind and partially sighted and live with long-term irreversible eye disease.

The RNIB said it is predicted that by 2050 the number of people with sight loss in the UK will double to more than four million.

In September 2025, the Department of Health (DoH) highlighted the “vital role of community optometry in improving access to care and shaping the future of eye care in Northern Ireland”.

Raymond Curran, head of DoH eye services, encourages people to take care of their eyes because “50% of all vision loss is preventable”.

He said “primary care optometrists” should be the first port of call for eyes as GPs are experiencing capacity issues.

Emergency ophthalmology departments are struggling to cope with increasing demand.

The DoH said it is committed to making it easier for patients to access the care they need, and that community optometry shows how services provided closer to home can detect problems earlier, reduce waiting lists and ease pressure on hospitals.