North Shields man’s brain tumour detected during life-saving Specsavers eye test
A North Shields man is back on the mend after a visit to his local Specsavers resulted in a crucial intervention from his optician.
When Darren Keillor was concerned with the vision in his left eye, he thought he might just need some glasses so booked himself an appointment at Specsavers North Shields.
But during the test, optometrist Meg Robinson immediately referred him to hospital when she noticed something wasn’t quite right. Darren, who works in marketing for EE, was quickly seen by specialists at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, who identified a brain tumour.
He underwent surgery to have the benign tumour removed and spent the next 10 days in hospital recovering. In the weeks since his scare, Darren has been getting regular checks on his overall health and is progressing well in his recovery.
Darren said: “It was a scary episode overall, but the real positive of the experience was the quick response from Specsavers and the staff at the RVI. Specsavers were absolutely phenomenal, particularly Meg and her fast thinking to get me to the hospital and in the best hands.
“My recovery has been tough, but my work has been great with me and I’m slowly getting better at home and going back to the RVI for regular tests.”
Mitch Robb, retail director at Specsavers North Shields, added: “Darren's case is a rare one, but with the technology we have, plus the expertise of the team, we’re always ready to help detect potential vision and even life-threatening conditions early.
“Huge credit to Meg for her quick-thinking, we are all so glad to see Darren is on the mend.”