A woman who lost her sight shortly after giving birth has had her vision restored thanks to a plasma donation.
Jessica Kent-Hazledine, a 33-year-old dentist from Cornwall, described fearing “the worst” when her eyesight began to deteriorate in April last year, but now reports her vision is “so much better”.
Two weeks after welcoming her son, Ms Kent-Hazledine awoke with significantly impaired vision in her left eye, initially attributing it to exhaustion.
However, the condition rapidly worsened, leading to the loss of sight in her right eye. This left her “terrified” at the prospect of not being able to witness her baby’s growth.
“I was a new mum, not getting much sleep,” Ms Kent-Hazledine said.
“But I thought I should probably get it checked out and the next thing I knew I was having an urgent MRI and blood tests. It was all very scary, I was thinking the worst.
“When my vision went in my right eye, too, I was terrified – I thought I wouldn’t be able to see my baby grow up.
“I wouldn’t be able to see how his face changed or when he took his first steps or had his first day at school.
“I had been a mum for two weeks and was faced with the prospect of not being able to see my son again, it was awful.”
After trying some other treatments, medics arranged a plasma exchange for Ms Kent-Hazledine which was carried out by a new service run by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in the South West.
As part of the process, a patient’s plasma – the liquid component of blood that helps transport blood cells, nutrients and hormones around the body – is removed from the bloodstream and replaced with donor plasma.
This helped stop the antibodies in Ms Kent-Hazledine’s blood from attacking and damaging the protective layer around the nerve fibres in her eyes.
Ms Kent-Hazledine described the treatment as “so simple”.
She had five exchanges but said things had started to improve by the third.
Ms Kent-Hazledine can now see clearly out of her right eye and has around 75% sight in her left.
“By the fifth [exchange], I felt pretty much back to myself, it felt like magic,” she added.
“It’s been almost a year now and my sight is so much better – I still have some blurring in half of my left eye but I can look after my son and live an independent life, which I was worried I wouldn’t be able to.”
The plasma exchange was performed by NHSBT’s therapeutic apheresis services (TAS), which is working with four hospitals in the region.
Ms Kent-Hazledine was the first person in Cornwall to use the service.
She said: “I feel so lucky that it was arriving in the area just as I needed it – it was amazing and I’m glad that other people will get to benefit, too.”
She added: “I’m eternally grateful to those people who donated blood and plasma – it’s only thanks to them that that plasma was available and I’m able to see again.
“I don’t think people realise just how much good donation can do – we all know blood can be used in emergencies but it can also be used to help so many people like me.
“I’d urge absolutely everybody who is eligible to go and give blood or plasma – and thank you to those who already do.”
Emma Warner, lead nurse at NHS Blood and Transplant’s TAS in Plymouth, who treated Ms Kent-Hazledine, said: “This vital service is giving patients access to timely, specialist care close to home.
“For new mum Jessica, this meant everything. She was able to receive the treatment she needed as an outpatient, staying by her baby’s side instead of enduring long, stressful journeys or the prospect of being admitted far from home.
“It makes us so happy to be able to help patients like Jessica but we couldn’t do what we do without the generosity of blood and plasma donors, and I’d like to encourage everybody who is able to register to donate.”
A spokesperson for NHS England’s specialised commissioning team in the South West also welcomed the launch of TAS in the region.
“Plasma exchange is not typically commissioned as a standalone service by NHS England, as it often sits within broader treatment pathways,” they said.
“However, we knew there was a gap in provision of this service in the peninsula and, following a procurement process, we commissioned NHS Blood and Transplant to fulfil this need.”