Ahmedabad Civil Hospital records 163 eye cancer cases in children in 5 years

Over the past five years, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital has recorded 163 cases of eye cancer in children.

Children below the age of five, who start experiencing difficulty in identifying colours, develop a white glow in the eyes, show swelling around the eyes, or begin to lose vision, should be examined immediately.

These are symptoms of retinoblastoma, a type of cancer that affects the eyes. Due to the severity of this cancer, 110 children have had to undergo removal of the affected eye in the past five years.

One out of every one lakh children is born with retinoblastoma. This cancer is most common among children under five years of age, although in some cases, children older than five may also be affected. The risk of retinoblastoma in adults is extremely low.

According to doctors, if parents or siblings have had eye cancer, the risk of retinoblastoma in a newborn increases up to 50 per cent. Additionally, deficiency of certain nutrients in the foetus during pregnancy can also contribute to the development of this cancer.

At Civil Hospital, 163 new cases of retinoblastoma have been reported in the past five years, and surgery was required to remove the eye in 110 of these children.