Raj and his wife, Ramya, acted quickly and took Priyansh to a local doctor who diagnosed him with a tumor. After more consultations, the family was advised to get treatment at the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer was made possible by the generous gift of an anonymous Canadian family, and through our longtime collaboration with the renowned eye hospital. Since 2015, the Institute has provided comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both adults and children. It is one of just a handful of centres in the world that specializes in this type of treatment.

Once he arrived at the Institute, Pryiansh was examined by an ophthalmologist who diagnosed him with fourth-grade retinoblastoma, a severe form of eye cancer that largely affects very young children.

With the level of danger the cancer presented, the doctor recommended that the affected eye be surgically removed. Although heartbroken by the diagnosis, the family knew surgery was their only hope to save their son. The operation was a success, and Priyansh’s outlook improved, but the journey was far from over. Following the surgery, Priyansh underwent grueling chemotherapy sessions to make sure there were no remaining cancer cells. The little boy was left weakened and frail, but kept his spirits up during treatment.

Due to the demands of Priyansh’s treatment, Raj, who works as a taxi driver, had to take time off work. In order to help free the family from the financial burden caused by Priyansh’s diagnosis, the L V Prasad Eye Institute was able to offer the treatment completely free of charge, allowing the family to focus on recovery.

Today, Priyansh is stable, and his parents are extremely grateful for the care he received.

To date, the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer has identified and treated 18,515 patients for eye cancer.

With special thanks to the L V Prasad Eye Institute, who originally reported this story.

The post Early detection gives little boy a second chance at life appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Aboobacker is a caring father of two from Kerala, a state at the southernmost tip of India. He was diagnosed with cancer in both eyes when he was 18 months old. One day, he was playing outside with the neighbors when a child threw a rock at him. The rock bounced off of Aboobacker’s forehead but, horrified, his mother rushed to his side to examine him. Looking into his eyes, she noticed a small speck, which she assumed had been caused by the stone.

As it turns out, that speck was the first noticeable sign of retinoblastoma, a life-threatening eye cancer. It was too late for doctors to save Aboobacker’s left eye, which had to be removed, but they were able to save partial sight in his right eye. Thanks to this, he’s able to do basic office work to support his family today.

When Aboobacker married and had children, his personal tragedy deepened. His first child, a boy, was born with the same bilateral retinoblastoma. Like his father, the baby was diagnosed too late to save both eyes, and his right eye had to be removed when he was just four months old. He, too, retained partial vision in his other eye, and he’s now able to attend school.

When their daughter Siya was born two years ago, Aboobacker and his wife were prepared for the worst. Almost half of retinoblastoma cases are thought to result from an inherited genetic mutation, and the effects can begin to take place even before the child is born. When Siya was just eight days old, they brought her to a local eye doctor for examination. They despaired when their baby girl was diagnosed with the same condition as her brother and father.

Fortunately, their doctor was able to recommend a facility in Hyderabad that was known for having the best treatment available. That facility was the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer, located within the renowned LV Prasad Eye Institute. They immediately brought Siya there for chemotherapy.

Good news! Because her condition was discovered so early, the ocular ophthalmologists were able to save both of Siya’s eyes. She retains perfect vision in one eye and partial vision in the other, and she can look forward to an entirely normal life. Aboobacker will continue to make the 36-hour train journey to the Institute to bring Siya for checkups every three months. He and his family are grateful that so far all is well!

Sadly, there are many more children like Siya who require treatment. Every day, four children in India are born with eye cancer. Visit our blog next week to learn more about the new Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer, what we’re doing to combat retinoblastoma, and how you can help. And be sure to mark your calendar for World Cancer Day, February 4, 2016.

The post Eye cancer doesn’t have to result in blindness in India anymore! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Our India projects are growing by leaps and bounds, and serving many levels of eye health across the country, from community programs to secondary and tertiary hospitals. However, one area of eye health where we saw a need is that of eye cancer, or ocular oncology.

I am very excited to announce that last week, we officially opened the doors to the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer in India!

This centre, which has been established at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in the city of Hyderabad, will deal exclusively with tumors within and around the eye. It will provide comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both adults and children. It will emerge as a centre of excellence, offering critically required services to India and other developing countries through research, capacity-building and education programs.

There are only a few centres around the world that specialize in this type of integrated treatment and serve as a global resource centre, and we are proud to now operate one of them!

The Institute has been made possible thanks to a generous gift from members of an anonymous Canadian family that has supported our work for many years. The family recognizes the critical need for affordable care for eye cancer patients, especially in India where there is a high burden of eye cancer.

Like all of us at Operation Eyesight, the  family believes in providing ‘the best for the poorest.’ Patients will now be able to receive the specialized treatment they need, and those who cannot afford to pay will be offered treatment free of cost. We expect to treat 500 patients in our first year of operation.

On behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight, I would like to extend our warmest thanks to our donor family and to Dr. Gullapalli (Nag) Rao and his team at LVPEI. With your support, Operation Eyesight has taken a giant step toward becoming a leader in the field of ocular oncology.

Together, we will continue to save eyes, vision and lives… for all the world to see!

P.S. Thursday, October 8 is World Sight Day! Please join us in celebrating ‘Eye Care For All!’

The post Announcing: The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Retinoblastoma, a malignant tumour that starts in the cells of the retina, is the most common type of eye cancer in children. According to The Times of India, retinoblastoma accounts for three percent of all cancers affecting children under the age of four. Around 2,200 new cases of eye cancer are reported every year in India, which is just one of the countries in which Operation Eyesight works.

“Timely treatment can save 95 percent of the children suffering from the disease. In 75 per cent of the cases, the child’s vision can be saved. Hence, awareness, early detection and treatment are extremely crucial,” says Dr. Swathi Kaliki, consultant, Orbit and Ocular Oncology Services, at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.

Through Operation Eyesight’s school and community outreach programs, in both India and Africa, we are able to screen children for eye health problems and refer them to the nearest partner hospital for treatment.

Sheri, Evans, Brian and Xavier are just four of the beneficiaries of our donors’ support. By providing much-needed funds for our community outreach and treatment programs, our donors have helped many other children like them.

Tomorrow, on World Cancer Day, I hope you will consider making a donation to Operation Eyesight so we can continue to treat children with eye cancer and preserve their vision.

I also encourage you to learn more about the symptoms of eye cancer and schedule regular eye exams yourself, so cancer and other blinding conditions can be detected and treated as early as possible.

The post Cancer can leave children in the dark appeared first on Operation Eyesight.