White Eye Reflection and Cancer

[Doug Nelson]

Dear Doug,

I have just been running a search on yahoo for "white eye reflection" and a forum question about retouching white eye photos came up on your very informative website.

I was, however, slightly alarmed, and would like to share this with you.

I am a survivor of retinoblastoma eye cancer - the main symptom of which is a white reflection caught on camera. This occurs when a tumour prevents light from reaching the retina, and reflects it back as a white dot in the eye. Leukocoria, as this is called, is usually only visible in artificial lighting, or in a photo where a flash has been used.

Please take a look at the leukocoria explanation page on my website - all the photos on the page are of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma:
http://www.orphancancer.org/ORbIT/leukocoria.html

Several of the children pictured on this page died because there were not diagnosed in time - their parents thought the reflection was due to a broken camera, or a trick of the light. They never dreamed they were staring right at their child's cancer!

Would you very kindly mention this possibility whenever anyone asks about retouching the white eye relfection in ythe photo of a child? - Rb only affects children in the first five or six years of life. You may help to save that child's life. Would you also consider placing a warning about this on your website, with a link to the leukocoria page?

There is so little public knowledge about retinoblastoma, and children are still dying needlessly from a totally treatable cancer - when caught in time, Rb has a survival rate of 90%, but once tumours spread beyond the eye (along the optic nerve into the brain, or via blood vessels into the bone marrow) the disease is almost always fatal.

Please help us increase the level of public awareness, and in so doing, help us save lives that have only just begun.

Thank you so much.
Abby White

Orphans of the Cancer Storm
Providing rare childhood cancer resources and support.
www.orphancancer.org

[Abby]

Thanks for posting this Doug.
Abby.

[Panpan]

Thank you for making me aware of this important clue to cancer.

I just want to add that a white reflection is normal for nocturnal animals. So don't rush your cat to the vet.

Pierre

[Gary Richardson]

Thanks for posting.