Fundraiser Rose urges others to avoid endangering their sight by not putting off eye surgery

Fancy dress fan and fundraiser extraordinaire Rose Ford-Nairn has praised sight-saving consultants for giving her back her independence.

Rose, who is well known in Nottingham as an advocate of the Air Ambulance Service, has collected thousands of pounds for local good causes.

However, her sight took a turn for the worse recently when she was diagnosed with cancer on her face and was told that she also had cataracts.

Rose’s deteriorating vision meant that she couldn’t drive and was struggling to do the painting that she enjoys.

Without surgery, cataracts will cause blurred vision and eventually blindness for the patient, so Rose was referred to Newmedica Nottingham – but before they could operate, Rose had to wait for the cancer to be treated.

Rose, 72, said: “The cancer wasn’t going to kill me, but it was affecting my vision. I looked like I’d been in the ring with Tyson. I also have COPD, which doesn’t exactly help.

“At Newmedica they were aware of these things and treated me so well. I was nervous before I went for the surgery, but I couldn’t fault the care they took with me.

“When I had the operation, I didn’t know they’d actually done it. I felt a little bit of a tingle and that was it.

“Our eyes are so important to us all. I couldn’t live without my sight. If I could convince people to going ahead with it, I would. They have nothing to be nervous off, but if they put it off and put it off, they could lose their sight, which doesn’t bear thinking about.

“I struggled with my sight before the surgery, but afterwards it was like being having new eyes. My sight is fabulous now.

“Going through what I have makes me appreciate my sight even more. I can now go out in my car, which I couldn’t before, so I’ve got my independence back, and that means the world to me.

“I’m so grateful to Newmedica Nottingham for how they looked after me and gave me my independence again.”

Newmedica Nottingham, based at Riverside Business Park, is owned and run by consultants Richard Stead, Aashish Mokashi and Veerabahu Senthil Maharajan, as well as operations director Karan Morjaria.

The eyecare clinic works in partnership with the NHS to help drive down waiting times so that more patients receive high-quality eye care as quickly as possible.

Karan said: “Rose was a wonderful patient and we all loved her positive attitude to life. Stories like hers show the importance of being aware of your sight and seeking help if things aren’t right.

“She is absolutely right about people having no need to be nervous about the surgery. We ensure someone is with the patient at all times and we explain every aspect of the procedure so that they are aware of what’s going to happen.”

Newmedica Nottingham works with the NHS to assist with its waiting lists. Patients can be referred by their optician or GP.

As well as cataracts, the eyecare clinic offers treatments such as YAG laser, which is used in instances of cataract surgery complications, and SLT laser, which reduces eye pressure associated with glaucoma.

In the future, it will offer its expertise and hospital-grade facilities to help train new NHS surgeons, ensuring the continuation of high-quality care. It also intends to expand the team, creating more local employment opportunities later this year.

For further information, go online at www.newmedica.co.uk/clinics/nottingham or call 01157 733815.

 Aashish Mokashi

Consultant Ophthalmologist and Partner