Derry grandfather thanks Specsavers for ‘saving his life’ after stroke scare

A Derry man is urging people to get their eyes tested regularly after a visit to Specsavers helped save his life, preventing what could have been a devastating stroke. 

Thomas Healy, 70, a retired engineer, experienced a frightening episode on January 4 2025 when he stood up and suddenly lost vision in part of his eye. He said he felt a “coating” come over his right eye with half of his eye becoming “completely black.” When it happened again shortly after, he knew something wasn’t right and booked an urgent appointment at the locally owned and run Specsavers store on Ferryquay Street in Derry. 

At his appointment, Specsavers optometrist, Cora McAdams carried out a thorough examination including an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan, which takes a 3D image of the back of the eyes to help spot serious eye conditions, including glaucoma, up to four years earlier than traditional methods. Cora quickly spotted something concerning and urgently referred Thomas to hospital. “I was given a referral letter and urged to go and see the GP straight away as there was something not right,” says Thomas. 

After undergoing a series of blood tests, Thomas was fast-tracked to the stroke unit in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, where doctors discovered that his carotid artery, the main artery in the neck that supplies blood to the eyes and brain - was 70% blocked, putting him at very high risk of suffering a stroke at any moment. 

“It all happened so fast - there was no time to be scared. I was just in shock as I didn’t have any other symptoms and I’ve always been very fit and healthy so I never would have suspected that I was at risk of having a stroke.” says Thomas, who has never smoked, plays football regularly, and enjoys an active lifestyle.

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Thanks to the early detection from Specsavers Derry, doctors were able to schedule urgent vascular surgery, which Thomas underwent on 24 February 2025. He has now fully recovered and is back enjoying life with his five children and thirteen grandchildren. 

“I’m so grateful and thankful to Specsavers for picking up on it, I owe them my life really,” Thomas says. “If I hadn’t gone to them when I did, it would have been a very different story with a very different outcome. The speedy service delivered by Cora and the team at Specsavers couldn’t have been better.” 

The team at Specsavers Derry presenting Thomas Healy with a gift to congratulate him on his full recovery

Thomas hopes that his story will encourage others to take any changes in their vision seriously. “It’s incredible how much you can tell by looking into a person’s eye – I didn’t realise just how much until this happened,” he adds. “If anything seems different with your vision, don’t ignore it - go get it checked. It really could save your life.” 

Optometrist Cora McAdams adds: “Thomas’s story illustrates the fact that a quick visit to the opticians can detect so many things. An OCT scan is available at our Derry store and it allows us to take a 3D of the back of the eye to spot signs of any underlying serious conditions. I can’t stress enough the importance of having your eyes regularly tested. We are so pleased to hear that Thomas is keeping well and has managed to make a full recovery.” 

Eye tests play a huge part in making sure your eyes stay healthy. Not only are they important for indicating whether you need to start wearing glasses or change your prescription, but also for detecting some common eye conditions.