I felt like I was dying... I did think this may be a stroke, I was not completely sure

OAP 'MINUTES AWAY FROM LOSING EYESIGHT'

- By KIRSTIE MCCRUM

Leslie Dean with the stroke team who saved his eyesight

A MAN from Teesside has described the moment he suffered what felt like an "explosion" in his brain.

Leslie Dean was minutes away from losing his sight if not for the NHS.

On September 25, Leslie was watching his television when he felt a pain inside his head.

The 74-year-old assumed it was a migraine but when sudden numbness started creeping in too, he alerted his wife, who rushed to his aid.

"I started shouting for my wife, asking where she was and she replied saying that she was right in front of me," he recalled. "But I couldn't see her and that's when I realised - my vision was gone."

Leslie's condition worsened with every passing minute and with growing concern for his health, Leslie's wife urgently took him to the accident and emergency department at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

On the way, Leslie's vision was slightly restored but he still couldn't see any vehicles driving on the left side of his car.