A VISIT to the opticians saved a Wemyss Bay teenager's life after she was diagnosed with a life threatening brain tumour.

Cara Murdoch, had been experiencing headaches for a few months and the 16-year-old twice attended her GP and the accident and emergency department at the hospital but to no avail.

It was only when she saw Heather Love, a Vision Express optometrist in Greenock, that the danger signs were spotted.

Now fully recovered, Cara is speaking out in the hope that their experience will encourage others to to have regular eye tests.

Cara's ordeal began following her return from a holiday in the Dominican Republic.

She said: "It felt almost like my brain was being squeezed.

"My hearing would change as well, everything would be quiet and then suddenly get louder, and I was experiencing double vision."

Sharon took her daughter to see the family doctor, who diagnosed her with migraines.

When she began being sick, they took her to hospital for a second opinion.

Sharon said: "Again, we were dismissed and told to return to our GP as he would be better at dealing with headaches.

"Cara felt that everyone was dismissing her.

"It was only when we saw our GP again that eye tests were mentioned.

"We called Vision Express in Greenock to check when she last had her sight checked and she wasn’t due her regular appointment until the next month, but they told us they would push her through for an immediate appointment that day because of her symptoms."

Vision Express optometrist Heather Love said she knew something was seriously wrong when she heard Cara's symptoms.

She said: "Experiencing symptoms such as headaches and double vision is a sign something is definitely not right, especially in a teenager like Cara.

"Sharon and Cara were both very distressed when they arrived because they knew something was seriously wrong and nobody was helping them.

"They were desperate, and my heart just went out to them."

Heather explained that Cara could have papilloedema, an inflammation of the optic nerve at the back of the eye caused by increased pressure in the brain - which can be a sign of a brain tumour.

Heather said: "It’s not something I’ve ever seen before in a 16-year-old – it’s very unusual and very serious.

"I rang ahead to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the neurology department saw Cara that day."

Sharon added: "Heather didn’t go into detail, but I could tell it was something serious, and it needed to be dealt with immediately.

"Although it was scary to get a diagnosis, there was a sense of relief because finally, somebody agreed with us that there was something wrong."

Within two hours of her appointment at Vision Express, Cara was seen by a consultant at the hospital and a CT scan revealed she had a brain tumour.

Treated as an emergency, she was operated on at 11pm that night, with a drain inserted and 300ml of fluid removed over a 24-hour period.

Just a couple of days later, she was admitted into surgery again for a six-and-a-half-hour operation to remove the tumour.

Sharon said: "It was critical.

"We were told it was about one and a half centimetres in diameter and had cause a blockage, causing Cara's symptoms."

After her surgery, Cara experienced swelling around the incision area and had to re-admitted for four lumbar punctures.

Cara, who lives with Sharon, her dad Robert and 20-year-old sister Rachel, added: "My headaches have disappeared and there’s no more sickness and I feel better than I have done in months."

Further tests have however flagged signs of Von Hippel Lindau syndrome – a genetic imperfection that causes cysts to grow around the kidneys and pancreas, which, if left untreated, can develop into cancer.

Sharon added: "We’d never heard of it and when you read about it online, it seems really scary.

"It can be genetic, so both my husband and I have had DNA testing and we are both clear, so Cara is the first in the family with the mutation of the gene.

"While there currently is no treatment, we’ve been reassured that Cara can live a normal life."

Cara and Sharon say they are indebted to Heather and the team at Vision Express in Greenock for her swift actions.

Sharon said: "We’re so thankful to Vision Express for initially referring her, as Cara is now in the system to have the backs of her eyes checked every year, as well as MRI and CT scans in her head and body.

"We went back to the Greenock store when Cara was first released from the hospital and gave them some gift cards to say thank you – they were delighted to see her.

"We’ll always be indebted to the team.

"We’re so grateful they were able to find it so quickly, as it could have been so much worse."

Cara now hopes to continue with her plans to study events or business management at university after finishing her Highers.

And her mum is encouraging other people to prioritise regular eye tests.

She said: "Optometrists are just as important as GPs and A&E consultants.

"They can pick up things that might have been missed – and it could save your life."

To book an eye test at the Greenock store call 726012, or visit Unit 24 Hamilton Way, Oak Mall Shopping Centre, Greenock.