If you find a growth on your skin, have it looked at immediately

Joan Knowles, who lives in Swinton, was troubled for weeks by a lump on her eyelid and she eventually went to see her optician.

When the optician saw the growth, he urged Joan to have it removed and tested to discover what it was.

She was referred to the Newmedica Manchester eye clinic, where she underwent a quick and painless oculoplastic operation to remove the lump. It was then sent away to be tested – and it was found to be non-cancerous.

Joan, who describes herself as “determined and independent”, is now urging others not to put off having such growths examined, because the sooner potentially dangerous conditions are discovered, the better the outcomes.

She said: “I wasn’t nervous before the surgery. I know some people are frightened to death of having operations, but I’m not like that.

“If anyone’s thinking of having this surgery, I’d tell them to go and have it done straightaway. Have it done and get better, because it can be dangerous to put these things off.

“I can’t fault the service I received at Newmedica. It was amazing. They sent a taxi to pick me up, everyone was so helpful at the clinic, the surgery was so quick and efficient, and then they paid for me to have a taxi home again.

“I have scoliosis, which is where the spine twists, so I can’t walk far. I depend on taxis and friends to give me a lift, which is why I was so grateful to the clinic for providing the taxis for me. That really was going above and beyond.

“Mr James Young, who performed my surgery, was wonderful. He couldn’t have been kinder. I felt like I’d received very special treatment.”

Mr Young graduated from Manchester Medical School in 2005 and then trained in internal medicine, becoming a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2014, before joining ophthalmic specialty training.

He said: “We are very pleased that Mrs Knowles has had such a positive outcome, and her story does serve as a good example of why people have no need to worry about this sort of surgery or delay their treatment.

“The surgery is quick, painless and can be life-changing, enabling people to maintain their independence for years to come.

“Mrs Knowles is right when she says that early intervention in such cases can be very important. I know she was concerned about the lesion, so delays would have led to ongoing worry for her.

“If it had been an eyelid cancer and was left untreated, it would have continued to grow and have invaded the eyelid, so the sooner such conditions are examined, the better it is for the patient.”

Newmedica Manchester is the latest addition to Newmedica’s network of 33 eye-health clinics and surgical centres in England that care for more than 165,000 patients a year.

In addition to Mr Young, the centre is owned and run by consultant ophthalmologists Mr Raj Bhayani, Mr George Moussa, Mr Vinod Sharma and Mr Bhamy Shenoy, alongside operational director Jesse James.

Alongside its oculoplastic services, Newmedica Manchester provides cataract surgery, glaucoma management and YAG laser treatment, which is used to treat some cases of glaucoma and correct complications that can very occasionally occur after cataract surgery.

Further information about the centre is available via the website or by calling 0161 507 1957.