Family Matters : Retinoblastoma

This is a bit of a more serious and personal blog, but one I have wanted to write well, pretty much from when I started the blog. 

Most people haven't heard of retinoblastoma (Rb), possibly seeing the odd poster at a children's clinic but that's about all. The reason I know about it, is that my sister had it. Retinoblastoma is a children's eye cancer.

My sister had it as a toddler and lost her eye to it, resulting in a prosthetic eye. As a result we (her sisters) and her child was all tested and thankfully this hereditary disease has not been passed on. I don want to focus on the details of her story as that is her story to tell and not mine. But what I do want to do is a raise a bit of awareness in what it is and what to look out for.

What is retinoblastoma:

The NHS website describes Rb as "Retinoblastoma is cancer of the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye. Retinoblastoma causes the cells of the retina to grow rapidly and out of control."

"To check for retinoblastoma, an eye specialist will examine the child's eyes by shining a light into them using special equipment called an indirect ophthalmoscope. If retinoblastoma is diagnosed or if there is a family history of retinoblastoma, the child will be checked by screening every few weeks or months. The frequency of this screening reduces over time but continues for five years"."

This is the link to the NHS webpage (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/retinoblastoma/Pages/Introduction.aspx)and the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (http://chect.org.uk). If you are looking for more information. 

What to look for 

From more personal experience, my mum always was careful to take pictures of us with red eye, in my sisters case the red eye only showed on her healthy eye and was one of the indications that something is wrong. Obviously times have changed in the last 30 years, and cameras have automatic red eye reduction, but it won't hurt to take that off for a few snaps just to look at your child's eye health!

The NHS website also lists these warning signs: 

It's important to be aware of the warning signs of retinoblastoma. The signs may include:

• Abnormal reflex in the pupil – usually, the affected pupil reflects white, like a cat's eye (see the picture on this page). This may be spotted in photos, where only the healthy eye appears red from the flash, or it may be noticed in a dark room or a room lit by artificial light. 
• A squint - one eye may turn in towards the nose, or out away from the nose. 
• Poor vision – your child may not fix their gaze on faces or objects or they may not be able to control their eye movements. This is more common when both eyes are affected.

I hope you have found this information useful! If in doubt, check it out!