Bury St Edmunds man who nearly lost his sight due to a brain tumour calls for people to get checked
He is also calling for more support for carers of people going through treatment
Last updated 13th Mar 2025
A man from Bury St Edmunds who had a brain tumour is urging people to go to the opticians and get checked out, after an emergency lunchtime visit saved his sight and prompted a quick diagnosis.
25-year-old business agent Hugo Fairbanks Weston from Bury St Edmunds, who played a young Ed Sheeran in the Castle on the Hill music video, began experiencing headaches, migraines and blurred vision.
Initially thinking this was just caused by a new job and being at the computer all day, he went home and slept, but when the headaches persisted he booked an appointment with his opticians, who told him he would have to wait weeks for an appointment.
As the headaches continued he booked an emergency appointment with Kite Opticians in Ipswich.
Optometrist Adrian Kite, who runs the practice on Berners Street discovered Hugo’s optic nerve was swollen in both eyes, which was highly unusual.
After taking a scan of the back of Hugo’s eyes, Adrian urgently referred him to Ipswich Hospital's eye department for further tests as he suspected it could be caused by pressure from a brain tumour.
"The doctors told me if I had waited for that appointment I would have gone blind due to the pressure behind my eyes"
After being seen the following day at Ipswich Hospital, an MRI scan a week later confirmed Hugo had a brain tumour and 10 days after his optometrist appointment, he had surgery in Addenbrookes Hospital to have a shunt fitted (to relieve the pressure) and a biopsy taken.
Hugo had 24 sessions of radiotherapy and within three months, he was given the all-clear.
Hugo told us it was a very quick process and he didn't necessarily have time to process what was happening: “I definitely don’t complain about the NHS, they have been nothing short of amazing. I still keep in touch with Adrian, and my mum, dad and brother now have their eyes tested at Kites Opticians too.
“The experience has changed my life, and that of my loved ones, particularly my girlfriend Francesca who became my carer while I was undergoing treatment.
"My advice is to follow your gut - if you think something is a bit off with your vision or you are getting more frequent headaches or severe migraines, get it checked out sooner rather than later.
"It could save your sight, or even your life.”
"Being hit with something we had no idea how to deal with"
Now Hugo wants to see more support for carers of those who are going through treatment as, although he has physically recovered, he and his girlfriend Francesca, also known as Chess are still dealing with the mental toll: "Families are supported and you as the patient are supported but carers and boyfriends and girlfriends aren't necessarily supported in my experience or warned of the mental effects that can come from it.
"She did everything for me, and then 18 months after I was better, she's then struggling quite a lot with PTSD and her mental health from caring for me.
"So that's something we definitely didn't expect or know was going to come along.
"The main things are claustrophobia, not liking being in buildings and not knowing where the exits are. She's not too keen on going into hospitals - she was there with me from 6am to 11pm four days in a row at Addenbrookes Hospital.
"Now we're still struggling with these mental health issues, it is a shame that trauma has happened and it's sad to look back on both of us at 22, being hit with that at that age with something we had no idea how to deal with."
He also told us the experience has changed his perspective on life overall: "Life's too short to get stressed or bogged down with things that just aren't worth it and I think we probably have shorter fuses with things that aren't worth it and we don't want to waste time doing stuff that's stressful and doesn't add to our lives."
Adrian Kite, who is also a member of the Suffolk Local Optical Committee (LOC), which supports the development of eyecare services within Suffolk and North East Essex, added: “A vast majority of patients coming to us experiencing headaches, migraines or blurry vision are suffering from eye strain, or they need glasses or a stronger prescription. Cases like Hugo’s are very rare and happen once or twice in a career for an optometrist – it was certainly a first for me.
“I’m glad that I followed my professional instincts that day, and that we have such a strong network of eye health services in Suffolk. The Suffolk LOC advocates for increased NHS-funded eye care for the entire community, including the service which saved Hugo’s life."