Optician Aunt Saves Nephews Eye Sight

optician aunt saves nephews sight

It is commonly thought that you can always rely on your family in times of need. However, for one young boy, he owes his sight and possibly his life to the eagle eyed spot from his aunt's chance discovery which lead to the young boy being diagnosed and treated for an incredibly rare occurrence of retinoblastoma.

Retinoblastoma, a condition which usually affects very young children in around the 1-2 years old age group, is a very fast developing cancer that forms in the retina of the patient. The disease can be found in both heritable and non-heritable forms (in this case the sufferer had the non-heritable form of the condition) and has a successful cure rate of 95%+ in the Western world, making it a highly curable cancer in comparison to other forms in children. Over 9/10 sufferers survive to adulthood. Noticeable signs of the condition are an abnormal pupil appearance with other less recognisable symptoms being a gradual visual deterioration, red and irritated eye and the development of a squint.

During a routine check up with his optician, who also doubles as his aunt, the seven year old was fortunately diagnosed with the condition, fortunate in the sense that the disease is so rare in a child of his age and thus an unlikely thing to look for and find. The condition is so rare than less than 100 people per year are actually treated for it. Thankfully, due to the incredible spot and subsequent treatment, the young boy from Hants is now looking to get on with his life as a normal child would do.

Image: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net