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Headaches & 'flickering lights' reveal rare eye cancer
23 Aug
Summary
- Headaches and perceived flickering lights led to rare eye cancer diagnosis.
- Cancer spread from eye to liver, now deemed incurable by NHS.
- Patient fundraises £120,000 for private chemosaturation therapy.
Lara Vivo, 41, began experiencing headaches and perceiving flickering lights in March 2019, symptoms initially attributed to stress. Colleagues saw no issues with the lights, prompting Lara to seek an eye test believing she needed glasses. Instead, she was referred to an emergency eye unit where she was diagnosed with uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer.
A 1cm tumor was discovered on her right eye, having caused retinal detachment. Lara traveled from Bournemouth to Barcelona for three surgeries costing £30,000, successfully treating the eye tumor but leaving her with 10% vision. She was cancer-free for seven years.
However, in January of this year, Lara received a devastating diagnosis: the cancer had metastasized in her liver. NHS doctors informed her and her partner, Roy Bettencourt, that no funded treatment was available. Lara is now fundraising £120,000 for private chemosaturation therapy, a targeted chemotherapy not available on the NHS due to insufficient research and cost-effectiveness concerns.
Described as stage four terminal as of March 2026, Lara is determined to live and is pursuing this experimental treatment. She urges others to get any eye-related concerns checked promptly.
