16-year-old Stratford girl's eyesight saved after visit to opticians

A STRATFORD teenager has undergone sight-saving treatment after an optician revealed a condition which could have caused her to go blind.

Kyra Barboutis, 16, suffered constant headaches and exhaustion for more than six months and, believing it to be her prescription glasses, booked an appointment at Specsavers in Wood Street.

Optometrist Sadiyya Akhtar compared photos of the back of Kyra’s eyes with her previous visit, and noticed swelling on the optic nerves.

Sadiyya said: “It was just the small difference in her optic nerves that made me feel like it needed looking at further, and that she needed to go to hospital for this.”

Doctors Coventry Hospital found Kyra had idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a pressure around the brain causes symptoms like vision changes and headaches.

If left untreated it can cause vision loss, so Kyra underwent a lumbar puncture to relieve the pressure on her brain.

Kyra said: “I’m now taking medication to make sure my pressure doesn’t increase again.

“This made me feel unwell but that’s settling down and I hardly ever get headaches now which is brilliant.”

Sadiyya added: “It’s so important to get your eyes tested regularly. As Kyra’s case shows, it’s not just a prescription check but something that can help detect other conditions too. I’d encourage anyone to see an optician as soon as possible if something doesn’t seem right.”