Linda Hyde's sight saved after tumour discovered during regular eye check up

Paul Cheetham and Linda Hyde

Linda Hyde's sight was saved when she booked an appointment with optometrist Paul Cheetham after experiencing what appeared to be a crackled glass appearance to her vision when waking up in the morning.

After an initial assessment, using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine, Paul observed what appeared to be an abnormality which indicated Linda was suffering from a posterior vitreous detachment.

Mrs Hyde was urgently referred to Rochdale infirmary, where it was discovered her condition was far more serious than initially suspected. After further testing, it was discovered that Linda had a freckle at the back of the eye suggesting she was in fact suffering from ocular cancer.

She was immediately referred to a specialist eye unit at St Paul’s Hospital, Liverpool and received a radioactive patch to the wall of her eye which was removed after four days.

Mrs Hyde’s biopsy revealed that her tumour was low risk and is not expected to affect her life expectancy. She now receives regular retinal photography at Rochdale Infirmary and her sight is no longer thought to be at risk.

Mrs Hyde said: “I’m so grateful that Paul’s quick thinking meant I was able to receive treatment before the tumour was able to do permanent damage.

“It shows just how important it is that you contact your optometrists as soon as you notice even the slightest change to your vision. If I had chosen to ignore my symptoms, my outcome could have been so much worse. I would like to thank Paul and the medical staff at both Rochdale Infirmary and St Paul’s for their fantastic treatment.”

Mr Cheetham said: “I’m delighted that Mrs Hyde is now receiving treatment and that her tumour is not thought to be life threatening.

“I cannot stress the importance of regular eye check-ups enough.

"Mrs Hyde has been particularly fortunate that her diagnosis is very positive; however, if she had left it, the prognosis could have been much more serious further down the line.

“I would like to wish Mrs Hyde all the best for the remainder of her treatment and look forward to hearing more positive news about her condition in the future.”