Leeds woman diagnosed with a brain tumour after routine eye test
Sarah Cardwell booked an opticians appointment after her vision started to blur
A Leeds woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour after a routine eye test, is speaking out about her experience to raise awareness for others.
Sarah Cardwell started to have blurred vision in summer 2018, she thought she needed new glasses, as she was already prescribed them for driving.
She booked an appointment at the opticians in November the same year.
Sarah did a number of tests, but her sight could not be corrected by any lenses the optician tried, and she was sent to hospital.
She went to the hospital the same day, where an ophthalmologist took a photo of the back of her eye and carried out a colour-blindness test.
Sarah said:
“I didn’t get a single one right. He then asked lots of questions about whether I got tired easily and whether I had noticed any other unusual symptoms.
"When I thought about it, I had been prescribed iron tablets for anaemia and had also suffered some sickness and dizziness. I had also been to the doctors with severe headaches but I thought they were probably due to being tired and over-stretched with a busy work and home life.
"It had also been suggested that my symptoms were possibly caused by being on the contraceptive pill.”
"I’ve no doubt that that routine check-up saved my life."
In December 2018, Sarah was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma, a tumour sitting on her optic nerve.
The next day she underwent a five-hour operation at St James's Hospital.
Months later, in June, Sarah woke up with a tingling sensation in her eye.
She said she knew deep down that the tumour was back, but didn’t want to believe it.
Doctors confirmed she’d suffered a relapse of her tumour.
On 23 July 2019, she underwent a second brain surgery to treat the regrowth.
She's now having annual MRI scans and her tumour remains stable.
Now, Sarah is sharing her brain tumour experience, to help encourage people to be aware of their eye health and to get checked up if something seems wrong.
She said:
"I put off going to the optician for ages. Now, I’m much more aware that a problem with your eyesight might be an indication of something serious. With hindsight, I wish I’d gone to Specsavers sooner.
"I’ve no doubt that that routine check-up saved my life."