A woman diagnosed with a sight-threatening condition 30 years before most patients is hoping to save others from sight loss.

Tracey Coyle was only 32-years-old when she was diagnosed with cataracts, a condition that can cause blurry vision and lead to blindness if not treated.

She first had symptoms in her late 20s but dismissed them as thinking her glasses were dirty.

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But in reality, she had developed an extremely rare a case of cataracts, which normally sets in after the age of 60 due to age-related changes.

As part of Cataract Awareness Month, Tracey is keen to warn others of the early signs of the condition.

She said: “I’d been having problems with my glasses. I kept thinking they were dirty and was cleaning them all the time, but it made no difference.

“The opticians said my right eye was quite bad, so the left eye was picking up the slack. I had to stop doing a lot of simple things because I couldn’t see what I was doing.”

Having had surgery to remove her cataracts Tracey says her vision has never been better, “My eyesight is now better than it’s ever been. It’s really opened up my life. I have my quality of life back.

“All the things I’d stopped doing I can now do again. Without the operations I would have gone completely blind.”

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Tracey, who is going to university in September to train to be a nurse and is now working at the clinic in Newcastle, Newmedica, where she had her cataracts removed.

She added: “Most of the people I see in my job at the clinic are older and want to see their grandchildren grow up, so I reassure them and talk them through it, and they’re so grateful afterwards.

“Everyone who needs the surgery should get it done as soon as possible, because we all want to appreciate life as much as we can. We want to keep our hobbies going and maintain our independence for as long as we can, and to do that we need our sight.

“If I hadn’t had the operations, I wouldn’t be able to even think about being a nurse. It’d be too dangerous for the patients because I wouldn’t be able to read their charts or give medications. So, the surgery has enabled me to train for my dream job and help other people.”