If you spot a white dot on the retina and/or a squint in the eyes of your child, don’t ignore it. It will not disappear with age but instead is a signal for eye cancer-retinoblastoma. If not treated in time retinoblastoma, which is the most common and life-threatening eye cancer in young children (newborn to five years of age), can result in removal of the eye.
On World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week starting Friday, doctors advise that early diagnosis can help save at least over 1500 children every year from this rare eye cancer in the country.
In most children, the tumor affects only one eye. However, because of lack of awareness and misdiagnosis, 1 out of 3 children with retinoblastoma develop cancer in both eyes. It spreads rapidly and can spread beyond the eye to other parts of the body.
If not treated promptly, this advanced form can cause loss of vision, or even loss of life. Because of this rapid growth, if you suspect your child may have retinoblastoma, it is important to get it diagnosed early and treated at proper RB Center, said Dr Santosh Honavar, ocular oncologist from a chain of super-specialised eye hospitals across India, Centre For Sight in Hyderabad.
Regular dependable eye exams and prompt inspection of any suspicions will ensure that the cancer does not remain undetected. The good news is it's easy to detect.
Dr Rachna Meel, associate professor and Oculoplastics and Ocular Oncology Service, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS adds, "They have been getting at least 100-150 cases every year at their centre. Mostly kids are from poor strata and though treatment is provided free of cost, the monthly check up is a costly affair for the relatives of the patients living far off areas."
She said parents as well as many times even pediatricians are not aware of the disease which is easily passed off as cataract and suggested mandatory eye check-ups during immunization of a child. Children can die from cancer that has spread beyond the eye due to late diagnosis.
To create awareness, stress on early diagnosis and identifying the white eye reflex, CanKids, an NGO is launching a nationwide awareness programme from Friday, said its Chairperson, Poonam Bagai.
Partnering with RB Centres across the country the aim is to drive up Indian survival rates for retinoblastoma (50-70 percent) to that of the developed countries (90-95 percent), said Bagai.
Warning signs:
* White reflection in the pupil; squint where an eye looks in or out; redness or swelling of the eye; protrusion of the eyeball; change in the colour of iris; absence of red reflex in the pupil; deterioration in the child's vision.