Bristol boy's dangerous growth in brain discovered at eye test - Bristol Live

A teenager’s headaches prompted him to visit Specsavers – where he was told a growth in his brain could make him blind.

His mum Marie, 52, said: “I wasn’t really concerned before the eye test, so it was a huge shock when I found out we needed to go to hospital.”.

“It was not a constant thing,” said Marie.

While he was off school for a few days, Marie took him to Specsavers in The Mall, where he had an appointment with optometrist Gaurav Patel.

Taking photos of the back of Charlie’s eyes, Gaurav saw his optic nerves were slightly raised, suggesting a build-up of pressure in the brain.

Marie said: “After a short while, the optometrist came out and had a word with me.

Doctors at the hospital confirmed the build-up of fluid in his brain, which they believed to be caused by a blockage.

“The next day he had an MRI which confirmed a growth in his brain was causing the blockage.

“It was worse for him when he came out of hospital and the reality kicked in that he wouldn’t be able to play sport for months.”.

“The MRI showed the growth had been there quite a while, but I wasn’t told exactly how long,” she added.

“It was great to see Charlie when he came back into the store,” the optometrist said