A woman who had her eye removed after a Beccles opticians discovered it had cancer is launching a fundraising campaign to get a prosthetic replacement.

Alaina Ratcliffe, from Beccles, was experiencing headaches for a few weeks but thought nothing of it.  

When picking her daughter’s glasses up from Specsavers Beccles, she decided to book her own test.

It revealed something abnormal in the eye and her optician referred her to the hospital that day.  

She was diagnosed with cancer which resulted in the removal of her eye a few weeks later.  

Now recovering and adjusting to life post-surgery, she is hoping to get a prosthetic eye that is ‘fun’ as she wants to start a conversation around getting your vision checked for people of all ages.

She said: "I have had to be strong throughout this process as I have three young children, but I am really thankful to Specsavers for being with me from the beginning.  

"I am telling everyone to get their eyes checked, I just couldn’t believe the outcome of a test I booked on a whim."

Due to the high cost of prosthetic eyes, Specsavers Beccles is hosting a fundraising cake sale on Friday, June 14, to cover the expense and raise awareness of sight tests.  

Tom Paulson, the optician who did the test, said: "Being able to help our customers in more ways than testing is important to us.

"Beccles is a really tight-knit area, so being able to make the difference for one person is potentially helping more people book in tests with us and eliminating any potential eye and ear health concerns."

The cake sale will be in store between 9 and 2pm and customers will be able to donate on the day or via their JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Specsavers-Beccles-2?utm_term=bZa369mNY&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1r6Suq8_ENW1ejtIViBFF9WFksLR33R3tlHDrIxVS2n7zjkquhepIvXwY_aem_AdkujT47YbnXrltQQZnhb0rb8FYzYUKWYA5WiOPgkA8eC_J14zeHyuDXXzGgsW5FnQ8amz6jBLCT41iSaUn1u5OY

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