A GRANDMOTHER has thanked her optician for saving her life after he spotted an abnormality in her eye.

Tests later revealed Yvonne Quinn, 58, was suffering with eye cancer and she now wants to raise awareness of the importance of having eye tests - and thank optician Haroon Ahmed for his quick action.

Now in remission, she said: "He saved my life, no doubt about it.

"I would not be here without him and I'm so glad that he spotted what he did.

"If it had been left any longer or if I had ignored the symptoms, then I could have lost my eye or even died if the cancer had spread to other parts of my body.

"By catching it before it spread I was able to keep my sight and my life."

Mrs Quinn had concerns over her vision but wasn't prepared for the news specialists gave her. The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-two from Clayton-le-Dale booked an appointment with Mr Ahmed after waking up from a shoulder operation at Burnley General in September 2013 and seeing black spots and flashing lights.

Mr Ahmed, of Tyrrells and Embery in Blackburn, referred her to the specialist eye unit in Liverpool and she was quickly admitted for surgery.

The procedure involved the muscles behind Mrs Quinn's left eye being cut to make room for a 'radiation plaque', a piece of metal the size of a 5p coin. It was loaded with enough radiation to tackle the tumour and left in for a week.

Mrs Quinn, who is married to Paul, 54, said: "I booked an appointment with the opticians as soon as I could but I did not expect to hear what I did.

"Haroon was really comforting and he could not have handled it in a better way. "He was so helpful and really reassured me about what was happening.

"At the time all he said was that he had seen something in my eye and that it should be checked out as he could not say right then what exactly it was.

"Having the radiation plaque put in was absolutely horrible and my eye was puffed up for ages. "I could feel it behind my eye all the time and it was extremely uncomfortable.

"I was so glad to have it taken out and I'm so relieved to have been told that I'm in remission. "The difference between getting your eyes checked out and not really is life and death.

"It's such an important thing to do and I can't overstate that point. "Eye cancer is very rare but it can have devastating affects if left unchecked.

"I would call on everyone to make sure that they have regular check ups."

Mrs Quinn, who works for Lancashire County Council, will need regular liver scans to ensure the cancer has not spread. Head optometrist Mr Ahmed, 29, who has worked at the Darwen Street practice for two years, said: "I'm overjoyed that she is in remission and she is such a lovely lady.

"You normally come across this kind of case once every two years so they are quite rare. "I'm really pleased that she is recovering and that she is on the right road.

"The key thing is to raise awareness of eye cancer and to encourage as many people to get their eyes checked on a regular basis."

Dr Tom Smith, the Lancashire Telegraph health expert, said: "This is a very rare case and in all my time as a GP I only saw about four cases of eye cancer in an adult.

"She is very lucky to live in this day and age because it was not too long ago when they would have had to remove the eye completely.

"The black spots would have been parts of the retina which would have broken off because of the swelling in the eye.

"The treatment is only a few years old so it's great that she has been able to benefit from it."