Allan Morrell was examining Mark Hellard after he complained of blurred vision in his right eye. Morrell spotted that something was wrong and referred Hellard to the doctor.
Subsequently Hellard has been featured in the national press for his 6ft 10in height, although the optometrist had not realised the outcome of his referral until contacted by optician.
Morrell, who works at the long established practice J R Morton, said: 'I didn't actually spot the tumour. What alerted me was the ill-sustained pupil reflex and a central field defect. I thought it might be MS so in my letter I suggested optical neuritis. But I never heard anything back.'
Caroline Hellard, Mark's mother, said that without the warning it could have been much longer before his condition was diagnosed. She explained: 'We certainly didn't think it would be anything as serious as a tumour and we had no idea it was linked to his height. The optician wasn't sure exactly what it was but he told us to get it checked.'
Hellard's condition turned out to be a rare type of brain tumour which causes pituitary giantism, the condition which made him grow so tall so quickly.
It is the same condition which some have speculated the biblical giant Goliath may have suffered from. The theory is that the condition may have affected Goliath's vision, which is why he would have been vulnerable to David armed with a sling.A Wakefield optometrist was the first to spot a tumour that caused a Yorkshire 14-year-old to grow to nearly 7 feet tall, it emerged this week.
Allan Morrell was examining Mark Hellard after he complained of blurred vision in his right eye. Morrell spotted that something was wrong and referred Hellard to the doctor.
Subsequently Hellard has been featured in the national press for his 6ft 10in height, although the optometrist had not realised the outcome of his referral until contacted by optician.
Morrell, who works at the long established practice J R Morton, said: 'I didn't actually spot the tumour. What alerted me was the ill-sustained pupil reflex and a central field defect. I thought it might be MS so in my letter I suggested optical neuritis. But I never heard anything back.'
Caroline Hellard, Mark's mother, said that without the warning it could have been much longer before his condition was diagnosed. She explained: 'We certainly didn't think it would be anything as serious as a tumour and we had no idea it was linked to his height. The optician wasn't sure exactly what it was but he told us to get it checked.'
Hellard's condition turned out to be a rare type of brain tumour which causes pituitary giantism, the condition which made him grow so tall so quickly.
It is the same condition which some have speculated the biblical giant Goliath may have suffered from. The theory is that the condition may have affected Goliath's vision, which is why he would have been vulnerable to David armed with a sling.
A Wakefield optometrist was the first to spot a tumour that caused a Yorkshire 14-year-old to grow to nearly 7 feet tall, it emerged this week.