By Abisola Oluremi
A Consultant Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr. Adetola Ogunbiyi, has raised concern over increasing cases of childhood eye cancer known as retinoblastoma, calling for greater public awareness and early detection to save children’s sight and lives.
Dr Ogunbiyi made this known while speaking with Radio Nigeria on Retinoblastoma Awareness week
She described retinoblastoma as the most common eye cancer affecting children, especially between the ages of zero and three years.
Dr. Ogunbiyi explained that the disease is often linked to genetic mutations, where a child may inherit a faulty gene from a parent, or the mutation may occur spontaneously as the child grows.
Despite being considered rare globally, she noted that Nigerian hospitals still record several cases.
She emphasized that early detection is key to successful treatment, as it could help preserve vision, save the eye, or most importantly, save the child’s life before the cancer spreads.
She listed warning signs to include a white glow in a child’s eye in photographs, squinting, persistent redness without injury, shrinking or bulging of the eye, and advised parents to seek immediate medical attention if noticed.
The Pediatric Opthalmologist who admitted that cost of treatment of retinoblastoma was high, appealed to government and people generally to get adequate care for children living with the disease.
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