A MUM-OF-TWO who nearly lost her vision has praised a hospital trust’s state-of-the-art laser suite which saved her eyesight.

Lisa Sargent hailed the new equipment, worth £750,000, which helps with cataract, corneal and eye correction surgery carried out by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT).

The 54-year-old from Colchester nearly lost her sight before receiving vital eye surgery.

She said: “I had been getting headaches, seeing halos. I put it down to tiredness, but one particular week they were really bad and wouldn’t clear, so I went to Colchester Hospital A&E and was referred to the eye clinic.

“By the time I got to the eye clinic, my vision was impaired and I was put on a drip and given urgent treatment.”

Lisa was told she had acute closed-angle glaucoma in both eyes and the pressure in her eyes was dangerously high.

She managed the condition for several years with some initial surgery to laser “channels” in her eyes, and then used daily drops.

But by 2019, the pressures had gone up again, and Lisa was told she needed cataract surgery on her left eye, which was done manually.

She then had the new laser eye technology earlier this year on her right eye, and she said the laser was a much nicer experience.

She was given a new lens on her right eye and was told without the surgery she could have lost her vision.

Gazette: Lisa Sargent

The support worker added: “I couldn’t feel the laser at all. The manual surgery involved a lot more prodding and poking, so I really noticed a difference between the two operations.

“I feel very lucky to have had the treatment. It was really quick and hopefully I won’t need any more treatment now.”

Also benefitting from the state-of-the-art facilities was Kathleen Campbell, from Colchester, who also had eye surgery with the equipment.

The 82-year-old mum-of-one was diagnosed with glaucoma after seeing her optician.

She said: “It certainly improved my eyesight - everything is much sharper and clearer. It was fine having the laser surgery.

“It wasn’t painful, just slightly uncomfortable and after a couple of days my vision was very good.”

Dr Achyut Mukherjee, consultant ophthalmologist for cornea refractive and glaucoma, said: “A human can never make these cuts with the same precision as a laser – a laser is always perfect.

“For cataract patients, they need the lens of the eye replaced, and the laser can pre-fragment the lens without touching or going inside the eye – so it’s much better for the patient.”