What is Retinoblastoma?

  • Retinoblastoma is the most common eye cancer in children
  • It most commonly (90%) affects children younger than 3 years
  • The incidence of the disease is 1 in 18,000 live births
  • Retinoblastoma is curable if the tumour is detected early
  • 20 to 25% cases of eye cancer worldwide in children are from India, and 50% of cases worldwide lose their lives due to late detection and inadequate treatment
  • Early diagnosis can help save the eye through chemotherapy and focal treatment, thus saving the life, eye, and the vision of the child
  • LVPEI treats about 150 to 200 cases every year, of which 5 to 10% are in very late stages
  • Over the past decade, LVPEI has treated 1500+ patients with retinoblastoma eye cancer, most of them being children less than 5 years of age, and of that 60% were treated free of cost