AN AMATEUR artist who was going blind has praised a sight-saving clinic in Worcester for enabling her to see again.
Throughout her life Nicola Forbes-Wilton has drawn and painted avidly, but during surgery on her eyes to remove cataracts, she suffered serious trauma to her eyes, leaving her with deteriorating sight.
In the months that followed, Nicola was no longer able to drive, and she struggled to see while at home and at work.
Her diminishing sight reduced her to tears and left her fearing that she’d go permanently blind, but then she was referred to Newmedica in Worcester.
The 59-year-old who lives in in Bromsgrove said: “When I went to Newmedica Worcester, consultant ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon, Mr Woodcock, examined me and said, ‘We have the expertise to carry out procedures for complex eye surgery and we will do everything we can to restore your sight’.
“That’s what I’d been longing to hear – and they kept their word, because I can now see again. Mr Woodcock has given me my life back. I do not have enough words to thank him and the wonderful team who cared for me.
“Before I went to Newmedica Worcester, my sight test had proved I couldn’t even read the letters below the biggest ones, and the largest A3 magnifying glass was no good to me for seeing up close.
“My opticians confirmed that glasses alone would not have improved it. I was distraught, as I saw no end to it and my sight was failing fast, so I wished that I’d gone to Newmedica for my cataract surgery at the start.”
The Newmedica Worcester clinic operates from the Berkeley Business Park and provides services for NHS and private patients. It is also assisting the NHS with reducing its waiting lists.
At the clinic, Nicola underwent YAG laser treatment for both eyes, enabling light to pass through to the retina at the back of the eye. She also had major vitrectomy surgery on both eyes – a complex eye surgery used to clear the way to the retina, removing the gel-like fluid that fills the eye, along with removing dozens of floating dots and shapes.
Nicola added: “Before the surgery at Newmedica, it was as if I was looking through a net curtain. I used to draw and paint, but all that was taken away from me. To be able to do that again is amazing.”
Malcolm Woodcock, the Newmedica Worcester consultant ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon who carried out Nicola’s surgery, said: “We’re delighted that Nicola’s life has been so dramatically improved by the surgery.
“Many people who come to see us are apprehensive about having their eyes operated on, but they really shouldn’t be. The procedures are quick and painless, and Nicola is a prime example of how a life can be changed for the better.”
