A SEVEN-year-old girl was diagnosed with a golf ball-sized brain tumour after going to Specsavers for an eye test.
Roxanne Knight, from Wickersley, Rotherham, spent months suffering with painful headaches that left her unable to eat or sleep.
Mum Irene, 45, took her to the doctors who told her it was a migraine and sent her away with a “headache diary” to take to school.
But the support worker thought it might be down to a problem with her vision and decided to get her daughter’s eyes tested.
During the appointment in April, optometrist Saj Hussain noticed the large tumour at the back of Roxanne’s head.
I thought maybe they’d say she needed really thick glasses – I certainly didn’t expect what they did tell me
Irene Knight
Irene said: “I thought maybe they’d say she needed really thick glasses – I certainly didn’t expect what they did tell me.”
Roxanne was quickly referred to Rotherham Hospital, where she underwent a six-hour surgery to remove the mass.
She has since made a full recovery from the operation in May and has finally been relieved from the agonising headaches.
Irene, who is also mum to nine-year-old Ayden, said: “She had really strong headaches, they would last for quite a long period of time.
“Each time she had a headache, she was panicking and she was crying, she wouldn’t sleep.
“It became an everyday thing – the headaches became more frequent, the doctors gave us a headache diary she had to take to school.
“It affected every aspect of her life, she couldn’t sleep or eat properly- it was a very strange pattern and we couldn’t follow up.
“When she developed a vein on the side of her head, I knew it wasn’t normal.
“The doctors told me it was a migraine but I didn’t think so – that’s when it came to me to get her eyes tested.
“There was no way I was going to sit at home and wait for the tablets to work.”
After making the appointment, Roxanne was seen straight away and quickly discovered the cause of her agonising headaches.
Irene said: “He said they would see something like this once every ten or 15 years and she needed to be referred straight away.
“The doctors explained it had been pushing to the front and causing the headaches.
“If the pressure had been in a different direction it could have affected her speech, her heart or her spinal cord.”
If the pressure had been in a different direction it could have affected her speech, her heart or her spinal cord
Irene Knight
Roxanne, a keen swimmer, said: “It felt like someone was punching me in the head. I just wanted something to make it go away.”
She underwent a surgery in May to get the tumour removed and is now back to “her usual self”.
Her parents Irene, and Steve, 62 couldn’t be happier and praise Saj, who spotted the tumour in the first place.
Irene said she called Saj to thank him and Roxanne insisted on writing him a card.
She added: “I was in a very big shock, I didn’t know what to do, knowing your child is going to have such a serious surgery.
“She’s brilliant now, she is well, she hasn’t had any headaches at all and she’s sleeping well and her eyes are perfect.
“It was massive, it was so scary to think this massive thing was in my child’s head.
“It’s so scary to think what could have happened if Saj hadn’t seen it.
“He treated me like his own family, he was just the hero of the day.
“I can’t thank that man enough.
“Roxanne asked me ‘mum am I ok to think something bad would have happened if the optician hadn’t seen this?’
“I had to be honest with her- she really insisted on writing a card for him and buying him some chocolates. “
Saj Hussain, who detected the tumour, pointed out how important regular eye tests are.
Symptoms depend on the size of the tumour, where it is and how it affects that part of the brain.
They are caused by the pressure inside the head being higher than it should be.
A growing tumour may push normal brain out of the way, or block the flow of fluid in the brain.
Doctors call this raised intracranial pressure, and it can cause symptoms such as:
Brain tumours can also cause problems with balance and walking, weakness down one side of the body, or changes in behaviour. Some of these symptoms are common even without a brain tumour, and this can cause confusion in the early stages.
Source: Macmillan
He added: “It was evident that Roxanne’s case was extremely serious and the family were right in thinking that something was wrong with her.
“It’s testament to the rigour of our training that it helps us identify issues, and the quality of equipment which let us identify problems in more detail than ever before.
“We’re just delighted that we managed to spot this issue for Roxanne early and that she’s had a happy ending.”
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