Co Tyrone man Steven Jackson is grateful to have a new life ahead of him and it's all thanks to a visit to his local optician.
In the next few months, Steven Jackson will celebrate two big milestones, his 50th birthday and spending Christmas with his family.
However, just a few months ago, Steven wasn’t so sure he’d reach those celebrations as his life was plunged into uncertainty after an eye test with Specsavers showed concerning swelling behind his eye.
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Steven had put the headaches and blurry vision he was experiencing down to a busy life and he had resigned himself to needing glasses.
He'd been plagued by continuous headaches for a while and noticed it was starting to affect his vision.
“My work takes me all over the world, I am always flying and put my headaches down to pressure from flights, and pressure from the job,” Steven explained.
“I had been living in Dubai since 2016, and two years ago, I visited the doctor there to get checked out. I was told there was nothing to worry about.”
Fast forward a year, and after taking up a new job with Balfour Beatty back in the UK, he decided to make Northern Ireland his base, alongside mum Linda and sister Julia and her family, living in Loughmacrory, just outside Omagh.
Steven added: “I had taken on a new job, I was working from home, in front of the laptop a lot and also travelling around the UK. I still had a busy life and when blurry vision accompanied the headaches I thought I just needed glasses!
“Thankfully that train of thought led me to book in for an eye test at Specsavers in Omagh. I went there as it’s a trusted name, my family here used the Omagh store, and it was so accessible to me it was the obvious choice.
“I am so glad I did as I know that visit and the checks and tests done by Mairead O’Kane, saved my life.”
Optometrist Mairead carried out an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scan on Steven, which is an advanced eye health scan, available in stores nationwide, which allows a 3D image of the back the eye to be taken, helping to spot serious eye conditions early.
“When Mairead asked me to wait while she looked at the scans, I took it as an opportunity to choose some frames – I was convinced I just needed glasses,” Steven continued
“I’d set my heart on a pair of Hugo Boss ones when Mairead called me back in, just 10 minutes later, to tell me she had some concerns about what the scan had picked up. There was something serious going on.”
Mairead had already sent the scan to a doctor at Altnagelvin Hospital, and they arranged for Steven to be seen the next day. After being referred to neurology a few days later, he was admitted to hospital after several tests, including CT scans, CT Venography scans and even a lumbar puncture procedure.
“I looked at the neurologist Dr McCarran and said, ‘you’re looking for a brain tumour, aren’t you?’ and he replied that ‘it could be a possibility.
“Everything goes through your mind then, I was thinking about my son who was due to graduate from University the following month, how would I tell my son… it was just awful.”
Steven’s diagnosis wasn’t a brain tumour, but it was a potentially lethal intracranial hypertension – a huge build-up of pressure due to excessive fluid on his brain caused by a blood clot, and was a ticking time bomb which, if not treated, would’ve proved fatal.
“Had it not been for my appointment at Specsavers, Mairead’s expertise, the referral and the quick actions of the doctors at Altnagelvin, I would’ve been getting on a flight I was booked on that Wednesday after my appointment, and probably not getting off it alive.
“Instead, I was put on a course of blood thinning medication and I just can’t believe that my headaches dissipated and my vision 90% returned.”
Five months on and Steven is still getting some tests done to determine what may have caused the clot, but says his eye doctor is really pleased with his progress to date.
A few weeks after his diagnosis, Steven’s son Maxwell, 25, returned from holidaying in Thailand and rushed to visit his dad and family in Omagh, and they both visited Specsavers Omagh to thank Mairead personally.
Steven said it was a really emotionally charged moment.
“The severity of the situation really dawned on us all then when my son turned to Mairead and said ‘thank you, you’ve saved my dad’s life’, and she really did. I’m not embarrassed to say we all shed a few tears together!
“Although I don’t think Mairead has forgiven me for giving her my Dubai mobile number – she wanted to check on me and I joked that if she couldn’t get through, she’ll know the worst had happened!
“The relief on her face when she saw me about six weeks later was very clear. I feel so bad about that…!”
Since receiving treatment, Steven has been able to attend Maxwell’s graduation, which was rescheduled to June this year.
“That was such a huge moment for me. I was so proud of him, and to be there to see him walk across that stage meant everything to me,” he said.
“Those are the moments I cherish now. I really didn’t think I would get to see Maxwell graduate, I didn’t think I would get to celebrate my 50th birthday next month, spend Christmas in Northern Ireland with my family.
“When I was getting tests done, I told my doctor that if it turned out I would have limited time left, I would be travelling the world to go out in style! Now that I have another chance at life, I am giving myself a relaxing break in Portugal, I’ve moved up to Belfast, have joined the gym and am getting fitter and healthier.
“Those three months were some of the lowest of my life, the most scared I have ever been, but now I get to plan an amazing birthday weekend up on the North Coast with my family who helped me through those horrific days, and that for me, is the best birthday present I could ever ask for.”
Optometrist Mairead O’Kane added; “At Specsavers, we have invested in technology which brings hospital grade equipment into the heart of the community, enabling us to pick up indicators of potentially life-threatening conditions such as the blood clot that was causing Steven’s headaches and affecting his eyesight.
“In Steven's case, the OCT scan confirmed he had swollen optic discs which are often a warning sign of a serious medical condition needing immediate attention.
“Community healthcare is vital, and we’re so grateful to have been available to Stephen and help him get a diagnosis and treatment quickly and effectively.”
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