Eye cancer is curable if only one visits the hospital in time

We noticed a squint in his eye when he turned six months old, but the elders in our family told us not to worry. They said it's common in infants and usually resolves as they grow," said Priyanka Shekhawat (name changed), a resident of Sonipat, recalling the early signs of retinoblastoma (RB)—a rare and aggressive eye cancer—in her younger son. The diagnosis came nearly a year later, delayed by a lack of awareness.

- MUSKAN BHATIA

For the past year and a half, the Shekhawat family has been making near-daily visits to AIIMS Delhi, where doctors are treating the cancer that had spread to both of the eyes of their three-year-old son.

"After multiple rounds of high-dose chemotherapy and targeted therapy, doctors had to remove his left eye," Priyanka told The Statesman. "Now they're telling us the right eye may also need to be removed due to persistent redness. We're praying that doesn't happen. We've even held rituals at home, hoping that God will heal him."

But doctors at AIIMS urge parents to keep an open mind. They emphasize that while timely diagnosis is crucial, once a child is brought to the hospital and retinoblastoma is detected, treatment begins immediately based on how far the cancer has spread. "Our priority is to save the child's life," said Dr Bhavna Chawla, professor of ophthalmology at AIIMS Delhi. "Only then do we focus on saving the eye—and, if possible, the vision."

With timely intervention, doctors at AIIMS Delhi have been able to save the lives of nearly 70 to 80 percent of retinoblastoma patients over the past 15 years.