A mum has credited an eagle-eyed optician with saving her life after an eye test revealed the deadly brain tumour which had been causing migraines that doctors had dismissed as stress.
Emily Robinson, from Derbyshire, was a single mum to a one-year-old son, Carter, when she began suffering intense, inexplicable headaches.
She told the Burton Mail that: "I had been experiencing migraine-style headaches for months and my doctor just put it down to stress."
When her eyesight also began to become affected, she went to her local Accident and Emergency unit to seek advice, but medics failed to spot anything amiss.
"I thought I was going crazy," the 31-year-old recalled.
She decided to book in for a routine eye test at her local optician. During the examination, optometrist Valerie Cameron saw something that her 30 years of experience told her was deeply concerning.
Story continues after this video.
"There was pressure causing her optic nerve to swell into the back of her eye," Valerie explained to the Mail. "There was a possibility it was a brain tumour. I did not want to risk any delay."
Her instinct proved to be all too correct. In fact, the situation was so grave that Emily was rushed into surgery the very next day to have the life-threatening tumour removed.
Emily has now been given the all-clear and recently gave birth to a second child, Leo.
In honour of National Eye Health Week, Emily is sharing her story in the hope that it will encourage families to look after their health by making sure they get regular eye tests.
"I owe my life to many people who have helped me along the way, but it all started with a simple eye test," she said. "I cannot thank Valerie enough, and my family, and I make sure we continue to have regular eye tests."
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