Woman left ‘shocked’ after visit to Specsavers in Sudbury leads to discovery of brain tumour

A woman was left ‘shocked’ after a visit to the opticians led to the discovery of a brain tumour.

Susan Wrinch was at Specsavers in Sudbury with her 97-year-old father and sought a second opinion after noticing a shadow in the peripheral vision of her left eye.

Despite multiple check-ups, she was diagnosed with cataracts, but Naeem Kazi, director of Specsavers Felixstowe and Sudbury, referred her to hospital for a suspected brain tumour.

She was referred the same morning and was scheduled for neurosurgery after weeks of consultations.

Susan said: “Almost immediately Naeem suspected signs that it could be a tumour. While I was so shocked, I was very grateful for Naeem’s support.”

The benign tumour, which had been pressing on Susan’s optic nerve, was successfully removed in October.

Other Specsavers customers have also received urgent treatment after being seen by staff.

Jennifer Filby, another customer at Specsavers Sudbury, was treated for a small retinal tear after being seen by the shop’s team.

She said: “While nothing serious happened, it was really comforting that I was seen so urgently.”

Chris Wilder visited Specsavers Felixstowe for a routine eye test, which led to him being treated for a detached retina.

Mr Kazi said: "Christopher wasn’t experiencing any of the usual symptoms of a detached retina, but I could tell it was severe and urgently referred him to hospital for an emergency appointment."

By the next morning, he had been seen by an eye surgeon who used a combination of laser treatment and cryotherapy, which involved freezing the affected area to help reattach the retina.