CUES appointment supports urgent referral for life-threatening condition

An optometrist helped identify a serious, life-threatening condition after acting quickly when a patient attended an appointment with sudden vision loss.

Optometrist Irem Ahmed’s swift action helped save grandfather Edwin Causey from a potentially life-threatening condition after he attended the Specsavers Wigan practice, having woken up to find he had completely lost the vision in his right eye.

Concerned, Causey’s daughter booked a community urgent eyecare service (CUES) appointment at the practice.

Causey, 78, was seen the same day and following an assessment by Ahmed received an urgent referral to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, where doctors diagnosed giant cell arteritis.

Ahmed described that Causey presented to practice with sudden loss of vision in his right eye and was triaged and booked for a CUES appointment based on his symptoms.

“When he attended, his vision in that eye was completely gone and, on further questioning, he revealed he was also experiencing jaw pain when chewing and headaches,” the optometrist said.

Amed shared: “This immediately raised a red flag. When I checked the back of his eye, I noticed an abnormality in his optic nerve, and my priority was for him to be seen at an emergency eye clinic that same day.”

Although Causey’s vision in his right eye could not be saved, the urgent referral enabled doctors to identify and treat the underlying condition, which causes inflammation of the arteries, reducing blood flow to vital areas including the eyes and brain.

Without treatment, the condition can cause permanent vision loss and increase the risk of serious complications such as stroke.

Ahmed reflected: “Edwin’s case is a reminder of just how much a routine eye test can reveal about a person's wider health. Sudden vision loss should never be ignored, and I’m glad we were able to get him the emergency care he needed on the same day.”