When you go for an eye test, the last thing you expect to be diagnosed with is a heart attack, but that is exactly what happened to a woman from Greater Manchester.
Norma, from Stockport, is telling her story as part of Know Your Numbers Week which encourages people to get their blood pressure checked regularly to rule out any serious under-lying health issues.
Fortunately for Norma, the check had recently been introduced as part of routine eye tests at some high street opticians in Greater Manchester, as part of a new trial.
So, when she booked an appointment to test her eyes after feeling unwell and dizzy, she was offered the opportunity to have a blood pressure check, which showed she had dangerously high readings.
The optician contacted her GP who arranged urgent transport to hospital, where a heart attack was later confirmed.
Norma said: “It’s a miracle. Absolutely a life-saver.
“If somebody says do you want your blood pressure tested, do it. It’s telling you what is wrong with your body.”
Optician Gohar Majid, who carried out the test, said her eyes were fine, but they suggested to Norma they carry out the blood pressure test.
He said: “She dismissed it thinking it is always low, but it had been over a year since her last test, so while we had time, we did a blood pressure test and it was a lot higher than we expected.”
Norma is not the only person to have benefited from the NHS pilot, which is being delivered in four areas nationally, including Greater Manchester.
It is estimated that 44 lives were potentially saved in England, during the first eight months of the initiative, which saw 4,000 tests completed.
The clinical lead for the pilot in Greater Manchester, Julia Maiden, from Wigan Local Optical Committee, said: “The data highlights the service’s effectiveness in identifying undiagnosed hypertension – an intervention that can significantly reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.”
The trial has been run in the city region by the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks and Primary Eyecare Services, which is the largest not for profit lead provider in optometry, supporting the delivery of primary and community eye care services across the country.
Dharmesh Patel, chief executive of Primary Eyecare Services, said: “This pilot reflects the importance of optometry’s role in supporting the NHS’ 10-Year Plan of neighbourhood-led healthcare, offering convenient, accessible and effective care for more patients across England.”
