A regular day at work took a dramatic turn for optometrist Aaron Spears when a routine eye examination helped to save a toddler’s life.
The 29-year-old immediately referred the two-year-old girl to the children’s hospital in Glasgow when he spotted what turned out to be a rare tumour.
He has now been nominated in the Optometrist category at this year’s Scottish Health Awards.
Aaron, who works at Vision Express in Silverburn in Glasgow, said: “My job means I test eyes for sight and also carry out health checks thanks to funding from NHS Scotland.
“It’s an important part of getting your eyes tested – you can find out a lot just from getting a routine eye test.
“When the little girl came in for an eye test, I noticed she had a difference in her pupils – one was a bit bigger than the other.
“With kids, you should always refer something like that urgently as it can be something quite sinister. It turned out, in her case, to be a brain tumour.
“I phoned the hospital to find out what they wanted to do and they told me to send her to A&E.
“She got her scans and the consultant phoned me back later to say I had made a good spot.
“It was quite serious and the girl had surgery the next day. But it turned out well in the end.”
In Scotland, adults can have a free eye examination, funded by NHS Scotland, once every two years.
The health of your eyes as well as your sight is inspected. Under-16s, those aged 60 and over, and people with certain health conditions can have a free eye examination once a year.
Aaron, who was put forward for an award by his regional manager, added: “I find all the sides to the job interesting. I like helping people.”
The winners of this year’s Scottish Health Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh in November.
Aaron said: “I was delighted and a little bit shocked by my nomination.”
