Sight-saving staff are left seeing double when husband and wife have surgery

A married couple has defied the odds by having the same surgery for the same condition on the same days by the same surgeon. 

Megan and Peter Griffin are the first married couple that Newmedica Worcester has operated on for cataracts within the same day. 

Cataracts are when the lens of a person’s eye develops cloudy patches. Over time these patches usually become bigger. 

Although cataracts are relatively common and easily treatable, they cause blurred vision and eventually blindness if untreated. 

Peter and Megan, who live in Stourport, both had their right eyes operated on at the clinic, and then they returned a month later to have their left eyes treated. 

Megan, 83, said: “We do everything together. That’s why we both had our surgery at the same time. We’ve always been like this. We’ve hardly ever been apart. We’ve always been together. 

“The deterioration in our eyes was very gradual, but we really began to notice the change within 10 months. It got to the point where we had very blurred vision, so we went to our optician and they said we had cataracts. 

“Our sight is now perfect. It’s amazing. We’re both big readers, so having our sight restored is wonderful. And we can still get about in the car, which gives us the independence we like.” 

Health professionals advise that people have an eye test every two years or as often as their optician recommends, because serious conditions such as cataracts can be picked up early and treated before they get worse. 

Megan and Peter have two daughters, two grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.  

Peter, 82, said: ‘The staff were wonderful. They put everyone at ease, and when you have the surgery you don’t know they’re doing it. Anyone who’s nervous about the surgery really shouldn’t be. It can change your life. For us, it means we’re able to see our greatgrandchild grow up, which is marvellous.’ 

Newmedica Worcester, based at Worcester Berkeley Business Park, provides specialist eye services across the region, including Worcester, Redditch, Evesham, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Malvern, Pershore and the surrounding area. 

The clinic is owned and led by consultant ophthalmologists Mr Malcolm Woodcock, Mr Tarun Sharma, Mr Ranjit Nair, Mr Salman Mirza, Mr Tom Jackson and Mr Matthew Edmunds, alongside operations director Josh Raden. 

Laura Doran, private service and engagement manager at Newmedica Worcester, said: “Mr and Mrs Griffin were wonderful patients. I think they’re the first married couple we’ve had as patients who’ve had the same cataract removals on the same days by the same consultant ophthalmologist. 

“They’re absolutely right about people having no need to be nervous about the surgery. With cataracts, the procedure is very quick, carried out under local anaesthetic via eyedrops while the patient is awake, and it’s painless.” 

For further information, visit www.newmedica.co.uk/clinics/worcester