Leeds grandmother with cancer Emily Barrass says eye test saved her life and urges people to get eyesight checked

Emily Barrass, 50, had been suffering from headaches and flashing lights in her right eye, prompting her to seek help from an optometrist. An eye test was carried out and it revealed something was seriously wrong, leading to Emily being sent for an MRI scan that found her cancer had spread to the brain.

Emily’s decision to seek help from Andy Winnard of Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care was particularly vital as she had not been due for a scan on her cancer.

Emily said: “I feel I would not be here now without Andy. He acted quickly when my eye test showed I needed urgent help. Andy saved my life because the MRI scan showed my current cancer had spread again. My consultant had not been due to scan me yet so we would not have known. I would like to bring to everybody’s attention that if you think something is wrong with your body, eyesight, etc, then get it checked.”

Emily was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer, which spread to her lungs and forced her to give up her job at the Hunslet branch of Scrivens in 2019. She is now receiving chemotherapy but is raising funds via GoFundMe to be treated with bevacizumab, an immunotherapy drug not available for free via the NHS. 12 treatments come at a cost of £5,400 and Emily is closing in on the £3,000 mark.

Andy, the optometrist, said: “I’m glad I could help Emily. She still faces challenges with her cancer and we’re all wishing her well. I could see when I examined her that one of her pupils was a totally different size to the other. I made an emergency referral on that day to the eye clinic and it went from there.”

Eye tests can spot general health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as early signs of eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma. Scrivens recommends that adults should have eye tests once every two years and that those over the age of 70 should have their eyes tested once a year. They also say children under 16 should have their eyes tested once a year.