Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are living with a brain tumor. Experts from the Brain Tumor Charity warn that early diagnosis is crucial for successful treatment. In addition to well-known headaches, the disease can reveal a little-known symptom related to our visioninforms .
Many people know that they should see a doctor for regular headaches. However, specialists warn of a symptom that lasts only a few seconds and is easy to overlook: it is a temporary loss of vision (so-called “blackout”) when standing up suddenly.
This phenomenon can be caused by pressure on the optic nerve or swelling in the back of the eye. Other visual changes include: blurred vision that makes reading or watching TV difficult, or loss of part of the visual field that causes patients to bump into objects. However, experts reassure that nBrain tumors are relatively rare, and vision changes usually do not indicate cancer. Nevertheless, every change should be examined by an ophthalmologist as a preventive measure.
In the UK, more than 12,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor each yearwhile 53% of findings are benign and 47% malignant. This disease shortens the average life expectancy by up to 27 years, which is the most among all types of cancer. More than 5,300 people die from it each year, and only 12% of adults survive five years after diagnosis. The main symptoms in adults include headaches, changes in vision, seizures similar to epilepsy, nausea and dizziness (often worse in the morning), fatigue and, in rare cases, loss of taste and smell.
In children, symptoms can manifest persistent morning headaches, abnormal eye movements, problems with balance and motor skills, or prolonged vomiting lasting more than two weeks. They can also be a warning signal changes in behavior, apathy, unnatural head posture, or even delayed puberty and stunted growth. Pronounced thirst and frequent urination in children, they can also signal problems related to a brain tumor.
