http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=/29092006/344/watson-tumour-posed-blindness-risk.html&e=l_news_dm
Watson: Tumour posed blindness risk
(Friday September 29, 2006 12:42 AM)
Opera singer Russell Watson was at risk of going blind if his brain tumour had gone untreated for much longer.
The singer, known as The Voice, underwent emergency surgery to have the tumour removed this week.
The tumour was not cancerous but was pressing on Watson's optical nerve and would "almost certainly" have destroyed his eyesight, according to his spokeswoman.
She said: "The tumour was diagnosed as a pituitary adenoma which was pressing on his optical nerve.
"If it had been left any longer, he would almost certainly have lost his eyesight completely."
Watson, 39, was said to be in "good spirits" after the five-hour operation at St George's Hospital, in Tooting, south London.
The factory worker turned singer, from Salford, in Greater Manchester, was discharged from hospital on Thursday.
He was recording a new album in Los Angeles when he fell ill, suffering from headaches and impaired vision.
The singer underwent tests and had to wait two days to discover whether the tumour was malignant. He continued recording while waiting for the results.
He returned to the UK for treatment and was admitted to hospital earlier this week.
