A routine eye test revealed that Sarah Atkinson had a life-threatening cyst on her brain. Surgery saved her, as Wendy Roberts finds out.
SARAH Atkinson's eyes fill with tears as she hugs the young woman who helped save her life. Then the 29-year-old whispers: 'Thank you. Thank you for helping me'.
Sarah was diagnosed with a cyst the size of a golf ball following a routine eye test to prescribe her new glasses and was rushed to hospital for life-saving brain surgery.
"I was planning to go to the cinema after my eye test," says Sarah, of Heanor. "But that didn't happen. I was hoping to get a nice new pair of glasses but I didn't do that either. My optometrist sent me straight to hospital. She was worried, I could tell."
Sarah was told she had a developed a big cyst in the middle of her brain. To save her life, she needed an operation.
"It was all a bit of a shock," says Sarah. "When I left the opticians I was in a real mess. I was crying and went to my boyfriend, who was waiting for me outside. I said 'I've got to go to hospital. There's something wrong.'
We both just went straight to the car and drove to the hospital. I was in a blur. I didn't even know where the hospital was."
Sarah, who works as a deputy manager for a restaurant and pub, went straight to the Royal Derby Hospital where her optometrist had made an urgent appointment in the eye clinic.
"After she looked at pictures of my eye she left the room," says Sarah. "I could hear her on the phone.
"When she came back in she told me what she wanted me to do. I was so upset but I did what she asked."
Sarah had several tests including a CT and MRI scan and several doctors examined her. At 5pm, she was taken by ambulance to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.
Surgery lasted more than two hours. A two-inch incision was made in her skull, a fine needle was guided through Sarah's brain and the cyst was punctured and drained. It took 14 staples to close the wound.
She says: "I didn't know what was going on. I was given medication and was told I'd be staying in [hospital]. Then the story started to unfold. I had no idea I had a cyst. I was shocked and upset and everything."
Sarah's tumour was blocking the drainage system in her head and preventing healthy fluid from travelling round her body. Her stiff neck and headaches, which she had experience two weeks before, could have been a result of the cyst.
When it was discovered, the tumour had started to swell up at the back of the nerve in her eye.
In an emotional reunion, Sarah thanks Philippa Myers, the 27-year-old optometrist at Vision Express in Derby's Westfield, who performed the eye test. Following her life-saving operation, Sarah has returned to meet up with her again.
"I don't what to say other than thank you," Sarah tells Philippa. "I feel completely overwhelmed and emotional.
"Thank you for saving my life. You have saved me, it's as simple as that."
Sarah sobs as she relives the last few weeks of her life. She says: "I started to feel unwell at work. It was Boxing Day and I went home early. I had a terrible headache and took some tablets.
"When I didn't feel better, I went to see my doctor. I told the GP that I could see dark patches and my head was killing me.
"I went home and took more painkillers. When my boyfriend got back, I told him how terrible I felt.
"He drove me to hospital and I had some tests. There were talks that I might have developed a viral infection. I was told it could be meningitis and I was given some antibiotics and other drugs.
"The next day I started to feel better and although my headache was still there a bit, I was definitely brighter.
"I had more painkillers and eventually I was discharged. I was told to rest and take the next week off work."
A week later, Sarah decided to book an eye test. Her vision was still slightly blurred and she says she could see squiggly lines, which were blocking her full vision.
She felt worried about driving because her left eye was causing her problems.
She says: "I thought I just needed new glasses. It had been a while since I'd had an eye test so I made an appointment. I wasn't worried at all.
"I was looking forward to having new glasses but it didn't work out like that.
"I was told that I had a swelling on the back of my nerve in my eye. It was described to me as looking like a bee sting."
Sarah had her life-saving surgery five days after her eye test. It was a terrifying experience.
"My parents don't live locally so my boyfriend, Brendan, had to help me," she says. "I called them and they came from Darlington.
"Not knowing what was wrong was terrible but when I finally found out, I was very upset.
"Before the operation I had to sign papers to agree to the surgery. I was warned that I might lose my speech and ability to write. I might have a stroke or a seizure. Worst still I could die on the table.
"But I was also told that, because it was caught early, I had a good chance of being OK.
"A woman on the same ward as me was in a very bad way because her cyst had not been discovered that quickly.
"She was really, really ill.
"It was really upsetting. I'm so thankful to Vision Express. Without the eye tests this problem might not have been discovered."
Sarah left hospital on January 23, and is now preparing to return to work. Her staples have been removed and she has been left with small scar that is hidden within her hairline.
She says: "When I woke up from the operation, I felt horrible. I was in the recovery room for ages and went back on to the ward at around 5pm.
"The next morning I felt quite well considering what had happened and what I'd been through."
Philippa says: "It's very rare for people like us to see things like this. I'll probably never see this again in my career but I'm glad I spotted it. I knew something was wrong. Her retinal scan showed something quite unusual.
"It's what we called a papilloedema – an optic disk swelling that is caused by increased pressure in the brain.
"The images of Sarah's eyes worried me greatly. That's why I went to make a call to the eye clinic at the Royal Derby Hospital. I wanted her to be seen straight away.
"I was concerned. I made her an appointment and sent her to the hospital. I didn't know exactly what was causing the optic nerve heads to swell up, but I knew it was serious. It was an emergency. I was quite stressed."
Philippa is delighted to see Sarah looking so well.
"And to celebrate her return to good health, she took fresh pictures of her eyes to celebrate. She also gave her flowers and chocolates.
"They look so much better now," said Philippa. "There's no swelling here now. They look a whole lot better.
"I was happy to help. It's my job and I'm glad Sarah came in that day. It's lovely to see her again and under happier circumstances.
"A simple eye test can reveal so much. It's important to know that."
Sarah's boyfriend, Brendan Ratcliffe, is also thrilled that she is feeling better. The couple are keeping their fingers crossed that her neurologist will allow her to take a flight to America next month to celebrate Brendan's sister's wedding.
Sarah says: "I'm a bridesmaid in Orlando and I really want to go. I need the go-ahead from my doctor but I'm sure he'll say I'm fit to fly.
"It's just what we need. Two weeks in the sun would be fantastic. We've been so stressed and upset.
"We need something happy like a nice wedding."
Julian Clayton, store manager at Vision Express, says: "Your eye is a window into what's going on inside. You can find out so much from an eye test. It's vital that people have regular eye tests. It can be a true life-saver."
