In October last year, brainstrust supporter Lynne Jones booked in for what she thought would be her usual annual eye test at her opticians in Reading. She was expecting nothing more than a possible prescription tweak.

However, during her appointment, Lynne found she was unable to read anything on the left side of the test. Her optometrist carried out further checks and referred her to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for urgent further investigation. After being seen by specialists, Lynne was referred to a neurologist, as there were concerns her symptoms could be linked to multiple sclerosis. An MRI scan revealed she had a brain tumour. Lynne was then referred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where she underwent 11 hours of surgery to remove the tumour, which had been pressing on her optic nerves.

Lynne says: “They had to cut from my ear to my skull to remove it. It was scary, but thankfully they were able to remove the whole tumour. I woke up from surgery and my sight was back.”

Further MRI and CT scans confirmed the whole tumour had been removed. It was a grade one benign tumour, but had been growing into her brain and affecting both optic nerves. Lynne will continue to have follow-up scans to monitor her recovery, but doctors are pleased with the outcome.

She says: “I want people to realise that tumours don’t always show up as headaches or seizures. It can be a change in your eyesight. I thought I just needed a new prescription, but I had a huge tumour wrapping itself around both of my optic nerves. It turned out to be the worst-case scenario for me, but I’m still here and I have my eyesight back.”

Now recovering from major brain surgery, Lynne has been signed off work and is focusing on getting stronger. A keen walker and runner, she is presently only able to walk for around 10 minutes at a time, but says she is improving every day.