I Was 20 years old when this story started. My twin sister Mary and I will be starting our third year at university after the summer break. Our parents aren’t rich so we have to fund our own way through uni.We have done shop work and and worked in cafes and bars to earn money but in our 2nd year we signed up to test medical products,first was for allergies then last winter for different flu injections as we are twins we are sent to different labourites and I think we received different injections
We were then asked if we would like to join the program to test new injections to try to find a way to protect people from the new virus that was sweeping around the world. Again we would go to different labourites, the program consisted of having small monthly injections. If we had no reactions, then next month the dose would be increased. Before the trial started we had a full medicals,our BP was checked, lunges memory, sight and hearing we both passed with flying colours.A1.
It was a very dark night and raining heavily,We had just had our second injections and on our way home,when Mary stopped the car and asked me to take over as the headlight of the oncoming cars were dazzling her,we thought nothing of it has we had both had a very tiring day. When we got home I thought I would do some extra studying to catch up, but after about 15mins I started to get a very bad headache, so instead of reading I watched the news on TV , the headache soon went .
The next day we were going to the library , Mary suggested I drove,I thought it a bit strange as she loved driving The lighting in the reading room did not seem so bright today so I went and sat at the table near the window. We finished at lunch time as I had a bad headache again. So I told Mary to drive home. It took longer than usual as Mary seemed to be driving slower today and we ended up going a different way home as she missed the sign. . Mary said she needed the Lady’s room so we stopped at McDonalds, Normally She spends ages looking at the menu high above the counter, but this time she said I need the toilet you order for me, and rushed off. When we had finished it was getting dark, Mary handed me the keys and said its your turn to dive now, as soon as I sat in the seat I adjusted the sat nav,it just seemed to close to me
We had our next injections,but because of the virus we didn’t have our normal medical as that part of the hospital was closed, the same happened the next 2 months.
I was now driving all the time Mary kept finding excuses not to drive and always ordered the same food from McDonald’s.and I was getting behind with my studies,as I had constant headaches I had increased the font size on the Computer,and sat further away from it.
We both felt very tired and a bit depressed so we thought we would go home for a week.
Father was surprised to see me driving when we arrived, I just said that we take turns now. When Mother came into my room I saw her staring at the large font on my computer and she asked why I was sitting so far away from the computer, I said my arms hurt so it’s easier to type like that. That evening Mother and Father came into the lounge and told use to turn the sound down on the TV and they wanted to talk to us.
When they discovered what we had been doing to earn extra money and had not had medical exams for 3 months but we’re still having the injections monthly.they were very angry.
The next morning We were both marched off to the family Doctor,and both parents insisted they come with us.
Father sat in the waiting room while we 3 went into the doctor,after we had been examined Father was called in. The Doctor said our general health was ok, but he was worried about the trial, and to go straight to the opticians.
We both went in for our eye tests together After a hour the eye doctor sat us down and wanted to know what had been going on He then explained that Mary was now very short sight and gave her a piece of paper that read R - 5.75 -2.50 180 L - 6.25 -1.25 130 and she had to come back in 6 weeks time “As for you Rita you are very long sighted this is your prescription R +4.50 2.50 120 L +6.25 1.25 120 and I want to see you in 6 weeks time as well. As we were students he gave us both NHS vouchers and suggested we choose the cheapest frames as we would probably need changing as soon as we got used wearing them.
What was a problem getting used to them I could see a long way in the distance and only had headaches sometimes.
The lady showed us the cheap frames,they were like mum wore, we both looked at the retro range,I loved the champagne coloured frames,but mum said they were to expensive, and why did we want them as that’s what grandma wore when she was our age ha
The lady heard what we were saying and disappeared into the back room and reappeared with a dusty box, marked NHS 524 Adult female pink/ blue
This colour is what we call champagne now..It used to be called pinky beige.ha
I’m sure you can have them with your voucher.
We BOTH choose CHAMPAGNE
Mother said won’t you get them mixed up if both have the same colour
The lady smiled “when they have the lens fitted they won’t get them mixed up”
2 Hours later when we picked them up we could see what the lady meant Mary’s left lens protruded out of the back of the frame and mine had a big bulge in the middle of the lens
Mary knew she would need to wear hers all the time but I was surprised when I was told that I had to keep mine on all the time as well, and in a week or two I would get used to seeing things in the distance but they suggested Mary did the driving until then. After only a few days We have both become TOTALY dependant on our glasses
4 Weeks later we both seemed to be having even more problems with our eyesight, so we returned home again and went to the opticians. The eye Doctor was shocked when he tested Marys eyes, he had expected to give her a small increase of one diopter after 6 weeks But now her prescription read R-8.25 -2.25 180 Add 1.50. L -9.25 -2.00 130 Add 1.50 Next it was my turn “I don’t know what has happened to your eyes Rita but you are going to need a very big increase in your prescription as well.What have you and Mary been doing.. After we explained that we were part of the testing program for a vaccine. He said we had to stop and we needed monthly checkups with him and he was going to contact the clinic. He saw me trying to read the prescription he had given me. It’s R +6,75 3.00 120 Add 3 L+9.00 1.50 120 Add 3 I am going to prescribe you a second pair of reading glasses as well for when you are studying which I’m adding a 5 out prism in both eyes for you.
The lady said why don’t you go and wait in the coffee shop next door. We will tell you when your glasses are ready Doctor has written a flat top D28 bifocal lens the price of varifocals would be a lot more.
Everything was a blur to both of us as we sat in the coffee shop.we weren’t used to not having our glasses on, even after the second day after getting them. we reached out to the bedside table for them as soon as we woke,and had never even been downstairs without them.
The lady handed me mine first, the weight of the lens made them slip down. “Don’t worry Rita I can soon adjust them.O I’m sorry I did not notice last time that you wore a hearing aid”
“It’s ok I only got them this morning,actually I need them for both ears but the other was hurting a little so I took it out,shall I put it back in for you to adjust my glasses,I will have to get used to wearing them both, I have suddenly started to have a hearing problem about 2 months ago, but now I can’t hear much from my left ear.and the other ear is deteriorating as well.
As the lady started to adjust Mary’s new glasses I noticed that she must have taken her hearing aids out in the coffee shop. “Don’t you think you should put your hearing aids back in Mary so the lady can adjust your glasses better..
When we got home Mother and Father were shocked to see the thickness of our new lens and said we were much too young to need bifocals. But we explained that they helped a lot and we would have needed to keep changing glasses as our eye muscles had suddenly become lazy
I did not think I would show her my seperate reading glasses with the prism lens in,I think the shock of the extra thicknesses would have upset her,I had to admit I was upset when I first saw them but they do help with reading. Then mother said “Have you got new earrings I thought I saw something behind your ear” Her mouth dropped open when we both showed her our hearing aids
Every 6 months our glasses got thicker and heavier,were were both classified Partially sighted within 2years of getting our first pairs of glasses
It is now 5 years later and we both have appointments with the medical experts that our lawyers have arraigned.
My general health is not to bad but my right eye is now +21.75 4.50 180 the retina in my left eye became detached after it had increased to plus 24,six months later I had the eye removed and now wear a prosthetic eye,I am slowly getting used to my cochlear implants
Mary now has a guild dog as she is registered blind,her glasses are very thick and heavy, but they help a little. She is able to see a few inches in front of her with them.. Her cochlear implant for her left ear failed so she now has a CROS hearing system.the hearing aid she wears in her left ear sends the information to her right hearing aid.
We went to Buckingham Palace to receive our New Years honours. They say that because of our help they saved 1000s of lives. But we are still fighting for compensation as we did not have our monthly medical check ups.
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