Woman gets devastating diagnosis after routine eye test

A woman was given a life-changing diagnosis when she couldn't read a single letter during a routine eye test.

Gemma Hillier, 45, went to her local opticians for a standard eye test in September 2023, but realised something was wrong after she struggled with the vision chart.

She was referred for an MRI scan which revealed a brain tumour - something Gemma's family were already familiar with after her father was diagnosed with a glioblastoma and sadly died in July 2018.

By February 2024, Gemma underwent surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where surgeons successfully removed 90% of the growth.

Now under regular monitoring, Gemma reflected on her ordeal: "Brain tumours have rocked my world in the last six years.

"It is hard to believe that I am living with a brain tumour. They said that I could have been living with it for years.

"I am lucky in some aspects - I do have a brain tumour but I can live with it."

The revelation came as a shock to Gemma, who had no symptoms prior to the optician visit: "It is crazy knowing that I am walking around with a brain tumour."

Recalling the moment at the opticians, she said, "When I sat in the chair, I couldn't read any of the letters which I found strange as I thought I had good vision.

"I then had further tests, including a visual field test which I failed.

"My optician got her colleague to look at my eye, and they referred me to an eye clinic."

Continual trips to specialists yielded no progress, prompting Gemma to seek private healthcare. "No one seemed to be in a rush to fix me or find out what was wrong so eventually I went to a private ophthalmologist who after only five minutes into the appointment noticed something wasn’t right and sent me for an MRI.

"Four days after