The man who ate his hearing aids thinking they were cashews and other vision mishaps

Britain's College of Optometrists released the strangest situations that people found themselves in before seeking help

On the left hand side.. a cashew nut.. on the right, a hearing aid..
On the left hand side.. a cashew nut.. on the right, a hearing aid.. Credit: Photo: Alamy

A man ate his hearing aids believing them to be cashew nuts, optometrists have disclosed, as they urged people to get their eyes tested.

Britain's College of Optometrists released the strangest situations that people have found themselves in, which finally prompted them to seek help for failing vision.

A jumbo jet pilot taxied the wrong direction down an airport runway before he realised that he needed to seek help.

One student's eyesight was so bad he turned up to the wrong exam room after misreading a sign and subsequently missed his exam.

And another started chatting to a stranger in a bar, thinking it was his girlfriend, it was revealed.

Dr Susan Blakeney, clinical adviser to the College of Optometrists, said: "Although these anecdotes may be extreme examples, there is a serious message behind this. It is important to be aware of the health of your eyes and to seek professional advice early if you notice any changes to avoid these sorts of accidents.

"We see too many people who leave it weeks or months after noticing problems before they go to see an optometrist.

"The earlier an eye condition is diagnosed, the more effective the treatment is likely to be. Regular eye exams are especially important as you get older."

The man who mistakenly ate his hearing aids thinking they were nuts needed hospital treatment to retrieve them from his stomach and survived the ordeal.

Despite finding themselves in these embarrassing and sometimes dangerous situations, more than one in three of the 2,000 people questioned said they put off having an eye test for 'months' after noticing their eyesight worsening.

The top vision mishaps that were reported to the College included:

A lady who took her shoes and socks off in the optometrist’s consultation room thinking she was at the podiatrist (the shop next door)

A pilot who landed a jumbo jet safely in thick fog but then taxied it the wrong way along the runway

A student who turned up to the wrong exam room after misreading a sign (and subsequently missed their exam)

A man who started chatting to a stranger in a bar, thinking it was his girlfriend

People offending their friends and relatives by failing to recognise them across the street

A driver who mistook traffic bollards for children in the road (they were found to need glasses for driving)

A number of people driving the wrong way down a one way street

A gentleman who had such dense cataracts that he ate his hearing aids, thinking they were cashew nuts (he was later rushed to hospital to have them removed)

A maths teacher who misread a ‘minus’ sign as an ‘equals’ sign

Being unable to read the horse names in the Racing Post

Being unable to see own wrinkles or toenails.

A badminton player who was unable to see the shuttlecock until hit by it

A bingo player who missed out on the top prize of £500 because they couldn’t see that they had the winning number

A courier who found that they were unable to read their maps

A person who commonly pointed out dogs to family members while out on walks, but they turned out to be rocks

A person who was unable to read instructions and expiry dates on their medications

Someone who found they were attempting to read a book upside down

A shop assistant who struggled to work the till

Office workers who found it hard to use their computers at work

Being unable to read the board at school or college

Being unable to read ingredients on food