THIS IS the 71-year-old retired nurse who is back playing badminton without her glasses after being treated for a series of eye complications at a top Northern Ireland clinic.

Co Down woman Daphne Aldworth had given up on saving her eyesight after being told that nothing could be done for her. But her doctor son had heard that she might be able to find a solution at the private Cathedral Eye Clinic, based at the University of Ulster in Belfast.

And just weeks after undergoing surgery, Daphne is back playing her beloved badminton. The active Saintfield woman is over the moon, insisting:

It has given me my life back again!

I have had eye problems all of my life. I had a squint as a child and underwent surgery for that. I was losing my sight and went to get a check-up and was told that I was developing a cataract and that there was nothing that could be done for me personally.

I was told I wouldn’t be getting any better but then my son told me about the Cathedral Eye Clinic and that I could have my eyes at least checked there under BUPA.

The staff there were brilliant and I decided to have the operation done. Just a few days later, my vision was superb. I just couldn’t believe how clearly I could see, it was unreal for a while.

To go from the despair of being told that my various conditions cold not be treated to seeing so clearly again was just incredible.

Daphne of course couldn’t wait to tell all her friends at the badminton club in Saintfield where she plays.

I’ve told absolutely everybody.

People need to know that this advanced sort of treatment is available. If it can help someone like me then it might just help others who have also been told they can’t be helped.

I love swimming and just doing that again has been wonderful.

The surgery was performed by Professor Jonathon Moore from the Cathedral Eye Clinic.

Clinic director Andrew Spence revealed that Daphne suffered from a wide range of eye illnesses including:

• Cataracts which affected her vision, increased glare and visual impairment in her right eye below driving standard.
• Hypermetropia — meaning she was longsighted.
• Astigmatism — complex rugby ball shaped eyes
• Ocular surface disease — making glare worse than normal
• Previous squint correction surgery

Mr Spence revealed:

We implanted bespoke toric iols (lens made up from her eye measurements) of a design and specification to negate the astigmatism and long-sightedness. These lenses give Daphne back her ability to see clearly, reduce her glare and increase contrast.

We also treated her ocular surface with specific lubricant for her type of dry eye.

Daphne is a smashing lady and we are so delighted with her results. I believe she is a pretty nifty badminton player and if our work helps her to win a few more games, we’ll be even more delighted.

The operation gives her good vision without glasses.