A MOTHER has come forward to share her story of how an optician saved her life.

After reading our story yesterday about Frank Colley, of St John's, whose sight was saved by a quick-thinking optician, mum-of-three Emma Wall, of Warndon, was prompted to tell how an optician's appointment led to her being diagnosed with a neurological brain condition.

Mrs Wall, aged 26, had been suffering with headaches and was constantly feeling unwell.

She said: "I've been wearing glasses since I was 11 for reading and concentration. I’d had tons of headaches and had constantly feeling unwell- no matter what glasses I had.

"You don’t need to be an optician to realise you need to see through your glasses."

She visited Specsavers Opticians in Broad Street, Worcester, in July last year, and after optometrist Karam Bhohie carried out a sight test he found scar tissue at the back of her eye that he said had been present for a while.

As a result, she was referred to Kidderminster Hospital and after tests, she was found to have pressure behind her eye and was sent for an MRI at Worcestershire Royal.

She had a lumbar puncture, a medical procedure where a needle is inserted into the lower part of the spine to test for conditions affecting the brain, and was later diagnosed with papilodema, a condition where increased pressure in or around the brain causes the part of the optic nerve inside the eye to swell and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a build-up of pressure around the brain.

"I only came in for an eye test," she said.

"I went for an eye test for them to find I had swelling on my brain. I was only 25. Specsavers saved my life.

"If my condition had not been found it could have been life threatening.

"I would definitely recommend people to be sure and get checked. It's such a simple test and no fuss that can really help and save both your life and sight if anything were to be found from it.

"I feel very lucky to have found out sooner rather than later as I may not have been able to physically see my children grow if this hadn't been spotted."

Her condition is incurable and she now attended regular lumbar puncture sessions to remove build up pressure from her brain through her spine.

She added: “Since I found out – my life has changed.”

She said she is unable to work as her condition causes issues with her vision, sickness, drowsiness and confusion.

Optometrist Karam Bhohie said: "Many people don’t realise how important it is to have regular eye tests, and we hope that stories like this one show just how much can be revealed. I was simply doing my job and this is what we as optoms are qualified to do.

"What came from Emma’s referral truly highlights the need for regular eye tests, regardless of whether you need specs or contact lenses. This ties in well with National Eye Health Week that aimed to raise awareness about the importance of eye health."