Hairy Bikers’ Dave Myers reveals he nearly went blind after mistaking glaucoma for a hangover
The 61-year-old feared the condition could put an end to his TV career and passion for bikes
HAIRY Bikers star Dave Myers revealed he could have gone blind after dismissing glaucoma as a hangover.
The chef, 61, was having a check-up at the opticians when he was told he had signs of the serious eye-condition which can lead to a loss of sight.
In an interview with , he said: “I told her, ‘I don’t think so. I had a bit of a night last night. So I’ve probably just got a bad hangover.’
“But she took no notice and referred me to my GP who made a hospital appointment. And she’d been right.
“The first symptoms of glaucoma were setting in. I was devastated. If it hadn’t been spotted so early the result could have been catastrophic.”
The star was 54 at the time of the diagnosis and he feared it could put an end to his TV career as well as his love of riding motorbikes.
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He now has an annual eye check up at the hospital and visits the opticians every other year and is urging others to do the same.
“It doesn’t hurt and it just might – as it did for me – save you from potential blindness.”
According to the NHS, Glaucoma is "a common eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged."
Adults in their 70s and 80s are the most likely to be affected, but anyone can suffer from it and it can build up slowly over years making it difficult to detect outside of a trip to the opticians.
Dave is married to wife Liliana Orzac who he met while making a show with co-star Si King in Romania in 2008.
He previously joked: “On that trip, Si came back with a bottle of vodka and a straw hat and I came back with a wife and two kids!”
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