Leading doctor thought poor vision was suncream on shades – then got diagnosis

A leading doctor has warned others not to ignore some important symptoms after getting a “shock” diagnosis after thinking her sunglasses simply had some lotion on them.

Dr Helen Wall, who is also a resident GP on BBC programme Morning Live, shared her experience of living with cataracts after noticing a problem. Speaking on the show, she addressed her condition and told Brits to be aware as she discussed the moment when she realised something wasn’t right.

WalesOnline report she said: “Cataracts is basically a clouding of the lens in the eye which is a small, transparent disc – or at least it should be transparent. What happens with cataracts is that over time, it can become cloudy or misty. When we are young, our lens is like looking through a clear window, but when you start to get cataracts, that can become very misty, more like a bathroom window.

“It can be quite difficult for people because it can affect things like driving, and doing their normal day to day activities as it progresses, so it is something to be aware of.” The doctor stressed that there are “clear driving regulations that you need to meet on the DVLA website” adding: “So people with cataracts can drive. But they need to be clear about how severe their cataracts and how much it affects them.”

Talking about her own diagnosis, she recalled: “I was told that I’ve got cataracts because I’m very short sighted and my prescription is minus 11 – which is quite significant.” When asked what her experience is like with the condition, she said: “I’ve had poor vision most of my life. I remember being in primary school and struggling to see very clearly and through time it’s got worse and worse.”

Whilst she says her her vision can be corrected with contact or glasses, she recalled that around 18 months ago, things changed. She said: “I started to feel like things were misting up. When I was on holiday, I was taking my sunglasses off and kept wiping them thinking ‘things are just not as clear as they should be, there’s sunscreen on these’. Actually it was my vision deteriorating.”

She added: “When I got to the optician for my regular review, I was quite shocked to be told that I had early cataracts. I consider myself very young, I was shocked at that, even as a GP because it’s not something you think about. You think about it in old people.”

According to the official DVLA website: “You need to tell DVLA about some medical conditions as they can affect your driving”. If you don’t do this, they warn that you can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell them that your medical condition affects your driving.