The retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor that affects the retina and occurs in children under the age of three, in a ratio of 1 in 20,000. It is a rather rare disease that leads to blindness, the causes are unknown, however it seems to have a hereditary character when it affects both eyes. The tumor manifests itself with a light spot on the iris , or with a simple whitish reflection, it is connected to strabismus, the sick eye in fact tries to react and, unable to see well, assumes an incorrect position in an attempt to regain focus. In the first months of life, the child is subjected to periodic treatments, the pediatrician examines the eye and recommends an ophthalmological examination aimed at studying the fundus of the eye, in the event that anomalies are found, further analyzes are carried out at an ophthalmological centre. Treatments are prescribed by an oncologist , who can opt for simple radiotherapy or chemotherapy , it all depends on the condition of the child and the severity of the tumor, usually chemotherapy being very invasive, is applied only in case of metastases. The last frontier is the laser, used for small tumors, in the same way cryotherapy which exploits the temperature of -80°C to freeze the tumor cells, seems to lead to a successful cure. Unfortunately, in cases where the tumor is in an advanced stage, it is necessary to remove the entire eyeball with surgery. [ wikipedia photo]