Diss pensioner's life saved after optician spots warning signs

A pensioner has had his life turned round after a chance visit to the opticians, where they diagnosed his crippling head pains as a serious form of arteritis.

Neville Pearson has hailed Adkins Opticians in Diss as ‘miracle workers’ after they identified his condition as Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) – a serious condition where the arteries at the side of someone’s head become inflamed.

After health workers had failed to identify the root cause of the Mr Pearson’s crippling pain for two years, the 82-year-old had what he said were dark thoughts before a last ditch visit to the opticians once he became unable to open his eyes.

“I was so unwell, my body was shutting down,” said Mr Pearson, who had previously served in the military.

“I was diagnosed with osteoarthiritis two years ago, but it had carried up my body and went to my head.

“I couldn’t lift my arms, couldn’t open my mouth, had pains in my head, and was unable to go to the toilet without any medication.

“After several visits to the doctors, and I was told they would make an appointment for me, but nothing materialised.

“I had come to the end of my tether – I was at the end of my wits and couldn’t take any more.

“What do you do when you’re in this much pain? I couldn’t even get out of bed.”

It was once the crippling pain travelled to Mr Pearson’s eyes that he asked his nephew and carer Matthew, 38, to book him an appointment with Adkins Opticians.

“I thought it was the only thing I could do. I had tried the doctors so I thought let’s try the opticians,” said Mr Pearson, who lives in Victoria Road, with his wife Shirley Pearson, 82.

“He got an emergency appointment on that same day at 4.30pm,

After listening to Mr Pearson’s symptoms, owner and head optometrist Ed Adkins, 45, suspected something was afoot and called the pensioner’s GP, who took him in for an appointment at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital the following day where he was prescribed with 12 steroid tablets and a body liner.

“It’s like they were miracle workers – I felt completely cured all at once [after taking the prescribed medication].

“If I hadn’t have gone to Mr Adkins, I can say for certain I wouldn’t be here today.

“Now I’ve got no pains, and I can do the things a normal person can expect to do.

“I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m feeling wonderful – I can get out of bed, I can get out of the car, I’ve got my life back.

“They’re keeping an eye on me and the hospital are giving me a first class
service.”

Mr Adkins, who has run the opticians in Market Hill for 12 years, said: “Matthew explained the symptoms to me, any loss of vision and jaw ache is not a good sign at all.

“I phoned his GP, and she agreed with what I was finding.

“This doesn’t happen often, but it just goes to show that affected eyesight isn’t just down to your eyes themselves.”