Ken, 80, from Tallington, has been a Scrivens customer for more than 30 years. He started at our Stamford branch and now goes to Market Deeping. About ten years ago he came in for his usual eye test. The optician noticed something unusual and referred him for further checks.
“I never twigged what it might be when I had the eye test,” Ken recalls. “I thought it might be a cataract or something – they were very calm, they just said there was something unusual and I should get it checked out.”
At the time, his only symptom was a loss of smell. He had put that down to getting on a bit.
Ken was referred to the eye department at Peterborough City Hospital and then to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. A scan there showed a brain tumour the size of an orange. Just a few days after the scan, and a few weeks after his eye test, he had a 14-hour operation to remove it. He was given a 50 per cent chance of survival.
He then spent months in intensive care and rehabilitation at Addenbrooke’s and at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. He had physiotherapy to learn to walk again and two years of psychotherapy to help with his concentration.
“It was a difficult time, but when you think of what could have happened, I am so grateful,” says Ken.
With support from his family, friends and medical teams, Ken made a full recovery. The surgeons couldn’t remove all of the tumour, so he has regular check-ups to make sure it isn’t growing.
“I think old age will get me before that does,” he laughs.
Ken still has his eye tests with us and now comes in for hearing tests too. When our Market Deeping branch moved to its new home in the Market Place, we asked him to cut the ribbon.
“I was delighted to be asked and I think it meant more to me because of what the branch did,” he says. “They made me feel like a king for the day. I don’t think they realise what they did for me, that visit saved my life, and I will always be grateful to them.”
Branch manager Jeanette Green says: “To have Ken open our branch is the cherry on the cake – he is always a pleasure to see and so happy-go-lucky, so we couldn’t think of anyone better to be our VIP.”
An eye test does more than tell you whether you need glasses. Your optician also checks the health of your eyes, and sometimes that picks up signs of problems elsewhere in the body.
“I tell anyone I meet how important it is to get your eyes tested regularly – it could save your sight and even your life,” says Ken.
Market Deeping branch has four testing rooms for sight, hearing and contact lenses. It also has an OCT (optical coherence tomography) scanner, which gives our opticians a detailed view of your eye health and helps them spot sight-threatening conditions early.
Book your eye test at your local Scrivens branch today, so you never miss a moment.
