A mum received the shock of her life during a routine visit to the optician's with her daughter.

Emma Mansfield took her "very excited" daughter Esme, then nine, for a routine in April so she could pick out some new glasses. But the fun retail trip took a horrifying turn when the Specsavers optometrist in Scunthorpe, North , detected swelling on the schoolgirl's optic nerve.

They referred young Esme for testing, where it was discovered she had an egg-shaped tumour attached to her brain. The 35-year-old nursery teacher was stunned when MRI scans revealed the tumour on Esme's optical nerve, tearfully pleading with the surgeon "please don't let her die".

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Esme underwent a gruelling seven-and-a-half-hour op on June 13 last year to remove the grade 2 central neurocytoma. The upbeat schoolgirl, now 10, emerged from theatre with most of the benign tumour removed - and requesting a McDonald's chicken nugget meal.

Mum-of-three Emma said Esme is now back at school and thriving thanks to the tumour being spotted early and is urging people to never skip routine eye tests as it saved her life. Emma, from Scunthorpe, North Yorkshire, said: "Our consultant said 'we've found a mass on Esme's brain'.

"I remember saying to him 'is it a brain tumour?' and he said 'I'm really sorry, yes it is'. It was my worst nightmare hearing those words, it was very scary. I just said 'please don't let her die'. We decided to call it an 'egg' to Esme, because I was like 'how do I tell my nine-year-old?' - it was just easy terminology to use.

"The eye test saved her life." Emma took competitive swimmer Esme for a routine eye test and to get new glasses in April 2024. Passing the letter chart test with flying colours, and no symptoms to report to the optometrist, it appeared to be a regular visit until he looked at the back of Esme's eyes.

After examining her eye more closely with a hospital-grade OCT scan he wrote a referral letter and told them to go to hospital immediately. After a series of MRI scans, doctors told a devastated Emma and her 35-year-old electrical engineer husband Daniel Mansfield that Esme had a brain tumour.

Emma said: "She wasn't poorly, there were no symptoms at all, it was just a routine eye test. She was very excited she was going to get some new glasses. She was quite happy with the lens check, the scan at the back of the eye changed things. He showed us the image of the back of the eye and explained what he saw - there was a build-up of pressure, which was causing her optic nerve to be swollen."

Esme went to an eye clinic in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, where she underwent a few MRI scans before being referred to Sheffield Children's Hospital. Emma said: "We went to Sheffield on the Tuesday and she had surgery on the Thursday. Where her tumour is growing is attached to her optical nerve so it was quite easy to get to.

"It was awful waiting while she was in surgery, it was the longest day. After seven-and-a-half-hour brain surgery the first thing she asked for in recovery was a McDonald's, she had a yoghurt instead. It's a slow-growing tumour so it will grow back. The surgeon didn't remove it all, because if he had she would have lost her sight."

Esme was discharged from hospital four days later and spent the rest of the school term at home recovering. Now, the bubbly little girl is back at school part-time and competitive swimming and has six-monthly MRIs to monitor it. Emma said: "To meet her you'd never know that in June she was fighting for her life, kids are so resilient."

"She's gone through it with a smile on her face, she's the most incredible little girl." Emma is sharing what Esme's been through to highlight the importance of attending regular eye tests. Emma said: "They're so important. If we'd not gone to that eye test we wouldn't have known she had this tumour growing inside her.

"Regular eye tests are incredibly important, it's not just your vision - they can find so much from looking at your eyes. I want to push the importance of eye tests and how crucial they are for children and adults as well. Having one could potentially save a child's life. As awful as the last six months have been, I'm so grateful to the optician at Specsavers for what he did.

"I think he knew what he saw and what was coming. I'm grateful for him and what he did because I still have years of adventures with her." Agyapal Dhaliwal, Ophthalmic Director at Specsavers Scunthorpe, said: "We are thrilled that Esme is recovering well and that her family are sharing their story to remind others not to forgo their two-yearly eye examinations.

"While Esme's condition is rare, it does highlight that a visit to an optician can sometimes detect an undiagnosed health issue. A thorough eye test will check the overall health of the eye and in some cases like Esme, raise a concern that needs further investigation.

"We would also urge people to make an appointment with their optician right away if they are experiencing anything unusual such as blurred vision or frequent . It is always best to be overly cautious when it comes to our health and your optician will be more than happy to listen to your concerns."