A woman is fighting for her life in hospital after being hit by a vehicle in Tameside on Wednesday (May 3).
16.04.2023 - 10:37 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Just like any young woman with a world of possibilities at her fingertips, Laura Whitaker couldn’t wait to pass her driving test and get out onto the roads.
But concerns were raised a week before the big day when her instructor noticed she was struggling to see other number plates. The DVLA states drivers must be able to read a car number plate from 20 metres away.
Laura, from Stockport, was advised to book an immediate eye test. However, opticians couldn't figure out what was causing her vision problems, advising her to cancel her test and go to hospital.
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Laura was just about to turn 21 when she got her scan results back from Stepping Hill. She watched her mum and sister break down in tears as a doctor gave them the news. Laura had Usher syndrome.
Usher syndrome is a rare genetic disease that affects hearing and vision. It causes deafness or hearing loss and an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa.
Laura was born partially deaf but her family didn’t realise until she was three. Growing up with a hearing aid, they never imagined she would face further health problems down the line.
But her diagnosis meant she would eventually lose her eyesight as well – and sadly, that’s exactly what happened.
“I was in denial and I thought that consultant was lying,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I just thought, ‘No’.
“When I got diagnosed, I had tunnel vision and I could see black and white fuzz, I called them ants because they were constantly moving.
“It wasn’t long after that that it really started to deteriorate, every couple of years it got worse and worse.
“Growing up with sight loss, I think it was hard to begin with because I was in
A woman is fighting for her life in hospital after being hit by a vehicle in Tameside on Wednesday (May 3).
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