In this case, your child will be urgently referred (within 2 weeks) to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for further investigation. If the reflection is white, it may be a sign of an eye condition such as cataracts, retinal detachment or retinoblastoma. When a light is shone into your child's eyes, your GP will see a red reflection if the retina is normal. Your GP will carry out a red reflex test in a darkened room using an ophthalmoscope (a magnifying instrument with a light at one end). In these cases, there's no faulty gene and only 1 eye is affected (unilateral).Īround 36 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the UK each year. It's not known what causes the remaining 6 out of 10 (60%) retinoblastoma cases. The faulty gene may be inherited from a parent, or a change to the gene (mutation) may occur at an early stage of the child's development in the womb. In about 4 out of 10 (40%) cases, retinoblastoma is caused by a faulty gene, which often affects both eyes (bilateral). The retina is the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye.ĭuring the early stages of a baby's development, retinal eye cells grow very quickly and then stop growing.īut in rare cases, 1 or more cells continue to grow and form a cancer called retinoblastoma. It's unusual for retinoblastoma to progress unnoticed beyond the age of 5. But you should get them checked by your GP as soon as possible. These symptoms may be caused by something other than retinoblastoma.
poor vision – your child may not focus on faces or objects, or they may not be able to control their eye movements (this is more common when both eyes are affected) they may say they cannot see as well as they used to.a red or inflamed eye – although your child will not usually complain of any pain.a change in the colour of the iris – in 1 eye or sometimes only in 1 area of the eye.an unusual white reflection in the pupil – it often looks like a cat's eye that's reflecting light and may be apparent in photos where only the healthy eye appears red from the flash, or you may notice it in a dark or artificially lit room.Signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma include: Cancer Research UK: Coronavirus and cancer.Macmillan: Coronavirus guidance for people with cancer.
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