Retinoblastoma-cancer in eyes

Retinoblastoma  is a cancer of one or both eyes which occurs in young children.Retinoblastoma is rare and affects approximately 1 in 15,000 live births.Most children are diagnosed before the age of five years old.In some cases it may be hereditary. Majority of cases (90%) has no family history of such disease.

Sign of retinoblastoma  are  abnormal appearance of the pupil ,deterioration of vision,  possibly different-colored eyes , irritated eye  or delayed development. Some children with retinoblastoma can develop a squint.Some victims do not show any symptoms. However, they may be noticed when a picture of a child is taken using flash photography. The affected eye looks white in a picture.

Retinoblastoma is due to mutation on chromosome 13, called the RB1 gene.It is a life-threatening disease but if diagnosed and treated at earlier stage the retinoblastoma patient has a very good chance of living a long, and happy life.However, if it is not treated promptly, this cancer can spread beyond the eye to other parts of the body.

Cryotherapy, Laser therapy, Plaque, Thermotherapy and for larger tumors – Chemotherapy, Surgery and Radiotherapy are among the treatment methods used.