Gran gets devastating diagnosis after routine eye test

A grandmother whose regular eye examination led to a serious diagnosis has shared her story. Susan Hetherington, 58, began having unusual "wave-like" sensations in her head and trouble reading road signs.

Opting for an eye test yielded a worrying discovery - her right optic nerve was swollen and the disc was misshapen. The abnormality warranted a referral to Dudley hospital in Birmingham for further investigation.

It was there that Susan received the frightening diagnosis of low-grade benign meningioma. The mother-of-four had to endure a six-hour surgery to remove what they could of the tumour, leaving some behind due to the risks involved.

Now, she faces yearly MRI scans as part of her aftercare, as well as struggles with memory problems and persistent fatigue.

Recalling her experience, Susan, once a teaching assistant from Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, shared: "I thought that I would go for an eye test before going to the doctors, just to rule it out."

She had not expected much concern, stating, "I thought I'd be sent straight home after."

Yet instead she found herself undergoing a scan at the hospital until the early morning. She confessed: "I went straight to the hospital for a CT scan and at 3am in the morning they woke me up to tell me I had a low-grade benign meningioma and that they'd need to replace part of my skull with a plate."

The shocking news left her with one primary concern on her mind as she revealed: "My first thought was I have to tell my children I have a brain tumour. I thought I wasn't going to survive.

"I can forget what I'm saying mid sentence and my eyesight has been affected so I have to wear glasses now.

"I've left the tap running and forgotten what I was cooking before - it does worry me."