A PENSIONER, who took his grandson for a routine eye test, ended up owing his life to the optician who discovered that he was the one in grave danger.

Brian Lansdell took the casual decision to have a check-up while he waited for 11-year-old Daniel's appointment at the Specsavers shop, in Darlington.

But it turned out to be a life-changing move for the 67-year-old, who was warned that there were signs of a tumour behind one eye.

Optician Karen Alexander urged Mr Lansdell to go straight to the town's Memorial Hospital and warned doctors there that immediate investigation was necessary.

After initial tests, Mr Lansdell was asked to return to the hospital that same afternoon for a scan.

He was later transferred to hospital in Liverpool where he underwent surgery and radiotherapy to remove the tumour.

If he had not received treatment when he did, he could have gone blind in the affected eye, or the cancerous cells could have spread.

Yesterday, he was full of praise of Ms Alexander, saying: "My family and I couldn't believe it when we found out I had a cancerous tumour.

"If Karen had not spotted the signs, I don't want to think about what could have happened."

Ms Alexander said: "This is the first time I've seen a tumour such as this, as they tend to be very rare.

"Mr Lansdell had suffered no symptoms, so the tumour would have grown undetected, and could have spread if he had not decided to have an eye test.

"Thankfully, we diagnosed it in its early stages, so Mr Lansdell was able to undergo swift and effective treatment."

He spent five days in hospital and his life is now back to normal after a short recovery at home.

Gary Learmont, store director at Specsavers in Darlington, warned: "Brian's case demonstrates that regular eye examinations can detect not just poor eyesight but a whole host of problems, including haemorrhaging, glaucoma and even tumours."