Well done to Asda ophthalmologist Michael Stokes who helped save the sight of great-grandmother Eileen Mansell during a routine eye test at our Eastlands store.
Michael, who's worked at the store in Manchester for 18 years, immediately referred 75-year-old Eileen for further examination after he picked up warning signs that he wasn't happy about.
He said: "I saw her for a routine eye test as there was a history of glaucoma in the family. She didn't have have classic symptoms or pain or anything and wasn't complaining of any issues, but I noticed a few things that had started to change since her last eye test.
"The pressure in one eye had gone up quite a lot and this made me want to delve into it a bit deeper. I really thought this needed to be looked into further.
"Eileen came in afterwards to see me and said the hospital had told her that if it had been left any longer then she could have lost her sight."
Forty-two-year-old Michael said: "As an ophthalmologist we do come across a lot of eye conditions. It's very nice to get a bit of praise and recognition, but this is what we are here to do. It's nice when patients come back and let us know the outcome and you think, 'I've done well.'"
Michael referred Eileen to Arrowsmiths Opticians in Manchester for a second opinion and they sent her to the Royal Eye Hospital where she underwent an emergency operation.
A scan revealed that a blockage to a cataract in her right eye had caused the pressure to build up to a potentially serious level.
Great-grandmother Eileen, from Chadderton, who's been seeing Michael for the past eight years, said he was "a treasure."
She said: "I'm so grateful to Michael; I really can't thank him enough. He is such a treasure for Asda to have.
"I just went in for a routine eye test as I had no symptoms at all. Thankfully Michael spotted what he did otherwise I could have lost the sight in my eye – and having your sight is such a precious thing."
The store's customer trading manager Lisa Casey, who nominated Michael for an Asda customer service award, said: "Afterwards Eileen came in and she was so over the moon. She was just so happy with the service from Michael. Through his due diligence he potentially saved her from losing her sight.
"We are all dead proud of Michael. He is a really nice, approachable, friendly guy, and a valued member of the team."
