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'Medication change restored my sight'
A WOMAN who faced being blind for life has spoken of what she describes as the "miracle" that saw her regain her sight.
Carrie Beckwith lived in a world of almost complete darkness just three months ago.
The 28-year-old was left devastated when her vision badly deteriorated in just 18 months and she even feared for her life as medics thought it could have been a life-threatening tumour, motor neurone disease or multiple sclerosis.
But Carrie can now look forward to a brighter future after claiming a change in her medication saw her vision gradually return.
She is now even hoping to learn how to drive and says she "has her whole life ahead of her".
She said: "It has transformed my life. It is a miracle to be left with no damage, to get everything back."
Carrie was born blind in her right eye and with limited sight in her left and suffering from nystagmus, which caused involuntary movement in her eyes. She also had a condition called photophobia which caused her to be extremely sensitive to light.
Despite her difficulties, Carrie, of Pinewood Close, Hartlepool, successfully completed her GCSEs, A levels and a degree at Leeds University in arts education.
But last January her vision deteriorated. She said: "It got to the point where I was struggling to keep my eyes open in bright light. I was in the dark most of the time, I would have my bedroom curtains closed."
Carrie visited her optometrist who said her pupils were not reacting to the light. She said: "I was obviously terrified because I was am artist and you need your sight."
She was sent to see specialists who conducted intensive investigations into what was causing the sudden deterioration and at one point it was thought it could be motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or a brain tumour.
Carrie, whose parents are Anne and Martin Beckwith, said: "I did not know if I was going to be alive one month to the next. We had no idea what was going on and how far it was going to go."
Carrie's condition meant she could not read print and barely left home.
Now Carrie says that a change in her medication in March this year had a huge affect and day by day she saw improvements in her sight.
She said: "Every day I was noticing changes. Now I can't stop looking at things."
Carrie now has perfect vision in her left eye and has gone from being blind in her right eye to having slightly blurred vision and is applying for a driving licence.
"I have got a whole new life ahead of me. Just being able to drive is amazing. I could go on and have children which before, I would not have dreamed of," she said.
Carrie has recently become engaged to her boyfriend Phill Ward, 24, who is blind and partially deaf.
She hopes to get a job and has posted her CV and examples of her artwork on her website, www.visionlessart.org.uk.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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