Former RAF pilot running length of country for charity reaches Highland city

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A former Royal Air Force pilot running the length of the country for charity in a gruelling 35-day challenge has reached a Highland city.Martin Higgins, a former Red Arrows pilot, was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2003 during a routine eye examination.

He says the test saved his sight, making him 'one of the lucky ones'.Now, after 18-months of training Martin is running 1,000 miles from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in June, to raise awareness of the condition which can lead to sight loss.

He said: "A routine eye check at a local optician unveiled that I had glaucoma, a silent menace to my sight. I am one of the lucky ones because that eye check saved my sight.“While I’m used to soaring far above the clouds in a fast jet as a former Red Arrow, on the ground, you’re most likely to find me diligently applying my glaucoma eye drops every day.”Regular eye checks and daily eye drops kept him in the air, but soon after his diagnosis, he became aware of the shortfalls in funding for glaucoma research. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Martin, from Buckinghamshire, is making his way through Inverness from 28 - 30 June as he runs from Lands End to John O’Groats over 35 days in support of Glaucoma UK.

On arrival in Scotland on 22 June he was met with a bagpiper welcome followed by a Red Arrows flypast near Abington.Martin said he hopes to support research to help others: “I found strength through talking to people.