WE'VE all booked our kids in for an eye test after working on our latest story for Colin Lee Opticians. They managed to save not just the sight, but the life of one of their patients, by helping diagnose a brain tumour with a routine check up.
It's really scary to think your child could have a cancerous tumour growing for years without them displaying any symptoms, but that's just what happened to 10-year-old Jack Cosnett. Luckily, Colin Lee caught it at a critical stage and it was removed in the nick of time.
We'd like to say a huge thank you to Jack and his mum, Theresa, who have coped really well with the demands of press photo shoots and radio interviews over the past couple of weeks. And what an amazing young lad Jack is. He's taken everything in his stride - and he's just glad he can play his computer games again!
Jenny, who conducted Jack’s eye exam at Colin Lee’s Ward End practise in Birmingham, said: “It’s just a really fortunate coincidence that Jack was brought in when he was, but it does underline the importance of having regular eye-tests from an early age.
“Children can be tested from as young as three, and we would recommend a yearly check-up as maintaining the health of the eyes from an early age can avoid problems in later life.
“More common conditions in children include squints and lazy eyes. These can be rectified before children reach seven, after that it may become more complicated and can lead to permanent vision loss.
“As has been proved in Jack’s case, symptoms aren’t always obvious and the equipment we use is often the only way to pick up on problems.”
So get on the phone and make that appointment!
