A visit to a Hucknall opticians by one local resident ultimately proved decisive in saving his sight.

Neil Copeland, 41, had no idea that when his wife encouraged him to join her for a routine eye examination at Specsavers in Hucknall that it would lead to emergency surgery preventing him from going blind in one eye.

Over a year prior to visiting the opticians, Mr Copeland had been at his brother's house where everyone joined in a family game with Nerf guns.

"We were all having a great time but then I accidently got hit in the eye at close range," explained Neil.

"I immediately felt a strange sensation that was like a 'pop' in my eye. After the initial shock I suffered from intense pain for a few minutes and then it quickly subsided.

"I wasn't overly concerned at the time and didn't have any further problems directly after that until I started experiencing floaters and seeing black dots that continued for a couple of weeks. My vision seemed fine, and I wasn't experiencing any discomfort, so didn't take any action."

Fortunately, Neil's wife, who was keen to have an eye examination before her upcoming driving test, urged him to accompany her to Specsavers last month and also opt for the added reassurance of an OCT examination.

The OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) machine, which is usually found in hospital eye departments, produces a structural scan of the eye to help detect a range of eye conditions.

Priyen Kotecha, optometrist director at Specsavers Hucknall said: "I immediately picked up from the OCT scan that Neil was suffering from a retinal tear in his right eye that would have turned into a full retinal detachment had it been left any longer.

"Without the level of detail the OCT scan offers it might not have been possible to detect straight away or act so quickly. The OCT scan, which uses waves of light in a similar way to how an ultrasound uses sound waves, scans both the back of your eye and the deeper layers of the eye, looking right back to the optic nerve and creating a cross sectional view."

Recognising the potential seriousness of Mr Copeland's condition, Priyen made an immediate, emergency referral to the Queens Medical Centre for an appointment with the ophthalmology team a couple of days later.

Mr Copeland added: "After a series of tests, it was confirmed the retinal tear, as a result of the impact to my eye just over a year ago, was too old to be reconnected using laser treatment so an operation was scheduled for the following Monday.

"It all happened so quickly but when you realise the severity of the condition and what could have happened had I not visited Specsavers when I did, it really hit home.

"I'm so glad my wife convinced me to join her for an appointment. If I hadn't, the outcome could have been very different.

"I'm a lot better now, I'm back at work and my recovery is going well. My vision is still a bit blurry and I continue to be under the care of the ophthalmology team with three different types of eye drops to take. I'm hoping to be signed off in the next few weeks which will mark less than two months since my first appointment.

"I'm so grateful to Priyen and the whole of the Specsavers Hucknall team. They were all so attentive, caring and reassuring. It was a pleasure to visit the store the day after my procedure armed with a huge box of chocolates for them all. I wanted to thank them in person for everything they had done for me."

Priyen concluded: "It's great to hear Neil is on the road to recovery. When he came for his appointment, it was his first eye examination in twenty years and while a retinal tear is a serious condition stories like Neil's highlight the importance of seeing your optician regularly.

"We encourage everyone to see their optician every two years as part of their routine heath checks, and to make an appointment straight away if they are experiencing any changes to their vision."

For more information or to book an eye or hearing test, call Specsavers Hucknall on 0115 988 9050 or click here.