On Christmas Day in 1981, Jan Kelly was working as a nurse in Lancaster when she was struck by a speeding driver while crossing the road.
The force of the impact threw Jan down the street and caused severe facial injuries including a broken cheekbone and a blood clot, which formed behind her eye, resulting in years of vision misery.
Now, Jan has undergone “life-changing” cataract surgery on her eyes and at the age of 74, will see her first clear Christmas in 43 years.
Jan, who lives in Morecambe, was 30 years old when she suffered the injuries in a hit-and-run.
“I was working as a nurse in Lancaster and was crossing the street on my lunch break when a car came flying round the corner, struck me and threw me along the road,” she said.
“The driver sped off, leaving me with a number of serious injuries including a broken cheekbone.”
The young mum was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
She said her badly bruised and swollen face was a “horror show.”
On Boxing Day, she was transferred to Blackpool Hospital, where she underwent surgery for her facial injuries.
When Jan woke up, she was delighted to learn that the surgery to repair her cheekbone had been successful.
However, she was shocked to discover that the accident had caused a blood clot to form behind her right eye, requiring her to lie tilted upside down for four days to help disperse it.
“Unfortunately, my vision deteriorated over the years after that accident and I developed a tugging sensation in my right eye,” she said.
“I really started to struggle and as a nurse who was responsible for taking care of patients and filling out medical notes, this was a big worry.”
For years, Jan battled with her vision before an optometrist revealed she was developing cataracts.
“I had to rely on glasses for a few years, but I knew something was wrong when I found myself needing a new prescription every year instead of every other year.
"Even then, I couldn’t read without squinting and I was still getting blurred vision. It was like a net curtain or a veil coming down over my eye.”
Jan was referred to SpeMedica, the largest NHS cataract surgery provider in the UK, through her local opticians and was pleased to be booked in for initial tests in just four days at the provider’s specialist eye hospital in Kendal.
“The staff were really lovely,” she said.
“They invited me in, took my details and even made me a cup of tea while I waited.
"I knew my right eye was bad, but it was only when the SpaMedica optometrist examined me that I discovered the problem stemmed back to the blood clot caused by the car accident years before, which had exacerbated the cataracts.”
At this point, while the sight in Jan’s right eye was very poor, she believed her left eye to be OK.
However, when she returned for her post-surgery checkup appointment, the optician delivered the news that, in fact, her left eye also required cataract surgery.
Jan returned to the clinic just a few weeks later for her second operation.
Now, Jan says she feels "amazing".
“After so many years of looking through a veil, it has finally been lifted, and I feel so much more confident," she said.
"I can now get out and do the things I love to do.
"One of the best things is being able to drive without wearing any glasses! I feel like I’ve got my life back and it’s fantastic.”
Mr Partha Singh, the consultant ophthalmologist who performed Jan’s cataract surgery, said: “It’s wonderful to hear that Jan is doing well after her surgery, and - as with all our patients - we are pleased to have helped her to see more clearly.
"I would encourage anyone who has concerns about their vision or eye health to book an appointment with their local optometrist to ensure any issues are investigated and treated as soon as possible.
"Given the complexity of Jan's case and the length of her symptoms, we were prepared for all eventualities during surgery. Fortunately, it all went to plan, and she has made a full recovery."
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