Paying for an extra £10 OCT scan at the optician led to detection of a life‑threatening brain tumour

Lauren Harbert, a 36‑year‑old catering assistant from Didcot, Oxfordshire, last year discovered a brain tumour after opting to pay £10 for an additional optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan during a routine eye test. The scan, performed at a high‑street optician in March 2023, prompted an immediate hospital referral and urgent surgery that doctors said likely saved her life.

Harbert had endured constant, severe headaches throughout her second pregnancy and after the birth of her daughter in October 2022. The pain was accompanied by blurred vision and tinnitus; a visit to her general practitioner produced normal blood pressure readings and advice that the symptoms might be stress‑ or hormone‑related. Five months after the birth, concerned by worsening symptoms, she agreed to pay for the OCT scan at Specsavers.

The optometrist who reviewed Harbert's OCT images became alarmed by signs of swelling at the optic disc and referred her to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for further assessment. Hospital imaging revealed a tumour the size of an orange in the upper left region of her brain, which clinicians said was causing increased intracranial pressure and threatening her vision.

Harbert was admitted directly to intensive care, given steroids to reduce swelling and counselled that the mass needed immediate removal. Surgeons warned of significant risks, including speech or movement problems, permanent neurological damage and death, but judged the risk of leaving the lesion in place to be too great. She underwent a nine‑hour operation; during the procedure she suffered a haemorrhage and had to be resuscitated on the operating table. The tumour was removed and later found to be non‑cancerous. Harbert woke with internal stitches, 150 external staples and a metal plate implanted in her skull, and her headaches resolved.

Two years after the operation Harbert remains under surveillance with annual MRI scans for at least 15 years to monitor for recurrence. She reported ongoing short‑term memory difficulties and said she experiences anxiety before scans. Harbert, a single mother who also has an 11‑year‑old son, said she now urges others to accept the additional cost of OCT scans offered at the high street.

Optical coherence tomography is a non‑invasive imaging technique that uses reflected visible light to create a three‑dimensional view of the retina and optic nerve head. Alex Day, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said OCT can detect retinal and optic nerve changes earlier than some traditional tests and can reveal signs of systemic disease. "Eye examinations with OCT scans can even help pick up many systemic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and even rare conditions such as brain tumours and multiple sclerosis," he said. "Each OCT scan takes only a couple of seconds to provide a detailed 3D view of the retina and optic disc — the point at which the optic nerve joins the eye."

Day said OCT has been largely a hospital‑based technology until its roll‑out into high‑street optometry practices began around 2017. He described that wider availability as a public health benefit because it enables optometrists to identify abnormalities sooner. Costs for additional scans at retail opticians typically range from about £10 to £50 depending on the outlet.

Clinicians say OCT is particularly useful for monitoring retinal blood vessel damage from poorly controlled diabetes, age‑related macular degeneration and glaucoma, and for detecting optic nerve swelling that can accompany increased intracranial pressure from masses or other causes. When optometrists detect signs of optic disc swelling or unexpected structural changes, standard practice is to refer patients promptly for hospital assessment and brain imaging.

Harbert said she had initially declined extra scans at previous appointments because she suspected an upsell for new glasses. After her experience she urged others not to dismiss the option. "Pay the £10 for the OCT scan. It's worth it. If I hadn't gone that day, I might not be here. My children might not have a mum," she said.

Medical professionals recommend routine eye examinations at intervals advised by an optometrist — typically at least every two years for adults without known eye disease — and earlier assessment for symptoms such as persistent headaches, blurred vision or sudden changes in sight. Harbert's case highlights how incidental findings on ocular imaging can prompt timely diagnosis of conditions beyond the eye and lead to urgent intervention that alters outcomes.