Express & Star

Wolverhampton schoolboy found with life-threatening brain tumour after routine eye test

A YOUNG boy's life was saved when an optician discovered he was suffering with a life-threatening brain tumour during a routine eye check.

Published
Acheem Alexander Nicolae and his mother with the team at the Lichfield Street opticians

Acheem Alexander Nicolae had been complaining of headaches when optometrist Taha Jalal decided to check if the youngster needed glasses.

But the Wolverhampton boy was instead battling symptoms caused by a serious tumour and needed to be rushed to hospital within 24 hours.

His mother Mariana-Denisa Nicolae has since praised the team at R.K Flatters Opticians for discovering her son's tumour, and said: "Because we came here, he has saved my son."

Acheem was taken into the Lichfield Street opticians for the routine appointment after struggling to cope with regular headaches, with his GP fearing he needed spectacles.

Mr Jalal, who is director of the company, soon uncovered the nine-year-old's optic disc was swollen and diagnosed him with papilledema - a condition where increased pressure in or around the brain causes the optic nerve inside the eye to swell.

He urgently referred Acheem to New Cross Hospital after suspecting the youngster may be suffering with a brain tumour, which was confirmed by medics in July.

Hospital staff identified a frontal sub acute subdural haematoma in the boy, which occurs when blood collects between the skull and the brain, and can be fatal.

Mr Jalal said: "It was a shock, a surprise, because it's not something we would see everyday. It was just the last thing that anyone could have thought. It is quite rare."

Medics have since operated on Acheem, draining the blood from his skull through a hole, and the Parkfield youngster is now making a good recovery.

Mr Jalal, who came to the UK from Tanzania in 2008, said he felt 'blessed' after discovering he saved Acheem's life and hopes other residents will be encouraged to have their eyes regularly tested.

The Edgbaston resident added: "It's always a great feeling when I know I was able to make a difference in somebody's life and now knowing that I have aided in that process just makes me feel blessed.

"The main reason I started this was to make a difference. Coming from a third world country, where I was born and brought up, I have seen people registered blind just because they can't have a pair of spectacles.

"When I came to this country, I realised that people are so much more fortunate. We are here for the public."

See wolverhamptonopticians.co.uk