A man has told how his life was saved after a routine eye test detected a tumour "the size of a tennis ball" in his brain.
David Powell, 55, hadn't been to the optician for six years until a visit to Specsavers which revealed he had swollen optic nerves.
He was rushed to hospital after the optometrist who examined him said something was clearly wrong at the back of the eye.
"Both of David’s optic nerves were really swollen and the veins were engorged. These are classic signs of papilledema and in fact it was one of the worst cases I’ve seen in my career," Maurice Slack said.
Stunned that David hadn't been suffering any pain or blurred vision, the specialist told him he needed to be referred to doctors right away, reports StokeSentinel.
The following day, David, from Staffordshire, was diagnosed with a tumour the size of a tennis ball which was the cause of the swelling, medically termed papilledema.
But thankfully after an 11-hour surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Burton, the huge cyst was successfully removed.
Speaking about the ordeal, David said the diagnosis came as a huge shock to him but praised the staff at Specsavers for their "prudence" and his neurosurgeon's "incredible" lifesaving work.
He said: ‘It came as quite a shock when Maurice explained the extent of the condition It was a long operation but the surgeon managed to remove the whole tumour.
"I was told it had been there for a long time and as well as the headaches and dizziness that I’d experienced, it could also explain why my family had noticed my personality change in the previous two years.
"During this time I’d also struggled with anxiety and depression, something again the doctors told me could have been as a result of the tumour and where it was located in my brain. I want to say thank you to my neurosurgeon, Mr Tsernoulas, who along with his team, did incredible work in helping to save my life.
"I had the surgery 12 weeks ago now and I’m happy to report that I’m recovering extremely well at home.
"I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Maurice and the rest of the staff at Specsavers, their prudence really did save my life and I can’t thank them enough."
