North Somerset boy's dangerous growth in brain discovered at Specsavers eye test
A teenager’s headaches led him to get an eye test – where he was told a growth in his brain could make him blind.
Charlie Leonard, 14, from Flax Bourton in North Somerset, had been suffering from headaches, which also made him sick.
His mother Marie Leonard said: “It was not a constant thing, I put them down to a migraine because the pain was behind his eyes.”
She took Charlie for an eye test at Specsavers at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway where he had an appointment with optometrist Gaurav Patel.
Mr Patel said: “In the test room I got chatting to Charlie about football as well as his symptoms, and he explained about the headaches.
“His vision was good and he wasn’t a specs wearer, so I thought perhaps he was maybe just having a bit too much screen time.”
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. He explained Charlie had to go to A&E as soon as possible.
“He’d been at school that day and played football. He’d been expecting a Nando’s after the appointment. It was a bit surreal how it changed from such a normal day.
“Within a few hours, he was wired up to a machine on a high-dependency ward awaiting an operation at the children’s hospital. They prepped him for an op that night.
Marie added: "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 a very worrying time but I was in so much shock it was hard to take in.”
Doctors at Bristol Children's Hospital confirmed the build-up of fluid in Charlie's brain, which they believed to be caused by a blockage.
Due to the location of the growth and the high risk of it growing back if removed, Charlie had an operation to insert a shunt to redirect the fluid.
A biopsy of the growth showed it was non-cancerous.
Marie said: “I was with him the whole time. Because of covid, he could only have one person with him.
“The staff in the hospital were fantastic. Charlie was absolutely remarkable. There was an element of shock for him but he was so amenable.
“For a teenage boy being woken up every hour of the night and poked and prodded, he dealt with it really well.
“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.”
Charlie spent six days in the hospital in October 2020, having the shunt inserted to his brain. Doctors told Marie her son could have lost his sight if the build-up had been left longer.
Marie said: “The MRI showed the growth had been there quite a while, but I wasn’t told exactly how long.
"It’s going to take six months for the build-up and swelling to go down. Charlie’s going to need regular MRIs to check the growth.”
Marie added: “He did get that Nando’s eventually. It was long overdue.”
Charlie, a keen footballer and big Bristol City fan, will not be able to play contact sport until he gets the green light from an MRI in March.
Marie said: “Charlie gets quite tired and is struggling a bit with concentration but, other than that, he’s doing well. He’s had some headaches but not really awful ones."
She added: “We did have to go back to Specsavers because he hadn’t done the full sight test. Fortunately he doesn’t need glasses.
“I’m so grateful to Gaurav for spotting the problem, as well as his prompt action. It made me realise the importance of eye tests.”
When Charlie returned to the optician's, Gaurav Patel could see his optic nerves were less swollen. The optometrist said: “It was great to see Charlie when he came back into the store.
“His case demonstrates how important it is to get your eyes checked regularly, every two years, and also to make an appointment if you notice any changes in your vision.
“The earlier a problem is picked up, the better the chance of successful treatment.”
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