The Importance of Eye Screening in Children, Mothers Must Be Vigilant

There is one type of eye cancer in children that is quite dangerous and can cause blindness, called retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer in children that is quite rare. This type of cancer starts in the part of the eye called the retina. The retina is a thin layer of nervous tissue that lines the back of the eye and allows the eye to see. Most often, retinoblastoma is unilateral, meaning it occurs in only one eye.

However, it may be present in both eyes, which is called bilateral. If retinoblastoma spreads, it can spread to the lymph nodes, bones, or bone marrow, which is the smooth, spongy material found inside large bones. Children can be born with retinoblastoma, but the disease is rarely diagnosed at birth. Most children who started treatment before the retinoblastoma has spread outside the eye recover. One important goal of treatment for children with retinoblastoma is to prevent blindness.

Children with retinoblastoma often experience symptoms or signs. But sometimes, children with retinoblastoma also don't have these symptoms. Or, the cause of the symptoms may be a different medical condition that is not cancer. Sometimes, doctors discover retinoblastoma during a baby's exam, but most often, parents notice symptoms or signs such as:

1. Pupils that look white or red instead of the normal black.
2. Crossed eyes (squint), one eye looks towards the ear while the other looks towards the nose or something.
3. Poor eyesight.
4. The eyes are red and painful-looking.
5. Pupils dilate.
6. The irises are different colors.

If you are worried about any changes occurring in your child's eyes, you can talk to a pediatrician. The pediatrician will ask how long and how often the child has experienced symptoms. This is done to confirm the diagnosis. Diagnosis can also determine the extent to which the cancer has attacked. Knowing the stages of the development of eye cancer in children helps doctors decide on the best type of treatment. There are two types of stages that will occur, namely:

• Intraocular. This means that the child's eye cancer occurs in one or both eyes but has not spread to surrounding tissue or other parts of the body.
• Extraocular. Eye cancer in children means it has spread to the tissue around the eyes or to other parts of the body.

Retinoblastoma can be treated with laser therapy, cryotherapy, thermotherapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Then, if the tumor has become malignant and difficult to treat, the doctor recommends surgery to remove the eyeball. After that, the doctor installs an artificial eyeball connected to the eye muscles so that it can move like a real eye but cannot be seen.