Routine eye examination helps uncover tumour pressing on woman’s optic nerves

A woman who believed she needed a new glasses prescription was diagnosed with a brain tumour after an eye examination identified significant changes in her vision.

Lynne Jones, 51, from Reading, had experienced blurred vision and sensitivity to bright lights before attending Specsavers. Tests showed she was unable to see part of the visual field in her left eye and had missed around half of the colours presented across both eyes.

The optometrist urgently referred her to Royal Berkshire Hospital, where specialists initially considered whether her symptoms could be linked to multiple sclerosis. An MRI scan subsequently revealed a large tumour pressing on and wrapping around both optic nerves.

Jones was transferred to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and underwent an 11-hour operation. Surgeons successfully removed the entire grade one benign tumour, and her sight returned after the procedure.

Further MRI and CT scans confirmed that the tumour had been fully removed. Jones will continue to receive annual MRI scans so doctors can monitor her recovery and check for any recurrence.

She is now encouraging people not to ignore changes in their eyesight, noting that brain tumours do not always cause more widely recognised symptoms such as headaches or seizures.

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