A WOMAN says she has lost her independence after she was left visually impaired following laser surgery which burned her retina.

Lesley Horrocks, from Clitheroe, now suffers with significantly reduced vision in her right eye and is unable to see colours after doctors at Royal Blackburn Hospital carried out the surgery.

Ms Horrocks, who first required surgery in 1998 after leaking and bleeding had been spotted behind her eye, had previously had three operations at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

Having been though the healing process before, Ms Horrocks grew concerned when she didn’t recover in the same way after her latest surgery.

The 68-year-old said: “I was really concerned that my vision wasn’t coming back after the surgery.

“I knew that it would be blurry for a few hours after the treatment, as that had been the case after every other procedure I’d had.

“But as the days passed by, I was really struggling to see anything out of my right eye –there was a grey patch across the centre of my vision that wouldn’t shift.”

Six days later when she attended her routine check-up, her vision remained blurred and there had been no improvement.

Almost two months after the surgery had been carried out it was finally discovered that a deep collection of blood vessels had formed, and permanent damage had been caused to Lesley’s eye.

It was recommended that she undergo a cycle of injections into her right eye to deal with the haemorrhage and restore her vision.

Lesley described the injections, which had to be administered every three months, as ‘incredibly excruciating.’

She said: “I can’t really put the pain into words, it was that horrific.

“I was so nervous about having the injection and I was told I needed more anaesthetic drops to numb the pain than any other patient.

“I couldn’t see the needle, but I could definitely feel the pressure of it going into my eye and could feel a severe, stabbing pain.

“I actually told the doctors after the second one that I couldn’t have any more as the pain was just too much, but I was advised to continue as it was the only way to get my vision back.”

Since the surgery in February 2013, Ms Horrocks’s sight has remained the same and she is unable to focus on objects in the distance or up close, despite experiencing no issues with her left eye.

She now has to be careful when going up and down stairs as she is unable to focus on the steps properly.

Lesley said: “As well as losing my sight, I really feel as though I’ve lost a lot of my independence and I find it really hard going out in public as I’m scared I’ll bump into people or have an accident.

"I struggle doing the things I used to love, such as walking my dog, reading, watching TV and even painting my nails.”

Dr Damian Riley, medical director for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We aim to provide a safe, personal and effective service to all our patients. For the vast majority of the 700,000 people we treat each year, that is the case.

“Unfortunately, on a very small number of occasions things don’t go as expected.

“Here at ELHT, we place great importance on learning from mistakes, and we proactively share that learning with staff throughout the Trust.

“We wish Ms Horrocks well in the future”

With the assistance of Fletchers Solicitors, Lesley received a five-figure settlement in November 2017 after the issue of court proceedings.