Detect eye cancer in young children by turning on the flash when taking photos

Eye cancer (Retinoblastoma - Rb) is a dangerous disease in young children. If not detected early, cancer cells from the eye will spread into the brain and the family can only say goodbye. Fortunately, thanks to smartphones or cameras, parents can diagnose the disease.

Flash photography can help detect eye cancer in young children

Julie Fitzgerald, a mother in Illinois (USA) felt something was wrong with her 2-year-old son's eyes, but at first she did not pay much attention. Fitzgerald later accidentally read on Facebook an information about white spots that appeared in the blackness of his eyes that could be a sign of cancer. She hurriedly took a picture of her son with a flash.

Under the flash, the eye with Rb cancer cells will appear white gold

Usually if you don't do it, the blackness of both eyes will have red spots in the image , which we often call a " red-eye " phenomenon. But with Fitzgerald's child, one of the eyes didn't show up in red. " I have a feeling in my stomach that something is wrong with his eyes , " she told ABC News.

So Fitzgerald brought his son to the clinic. The doctor diagnosed that Avery Fitzgerald, her son's name, had Rb and cancer cells accounting for 75% of the child's eye. At this point, the doctor could only surgically remove the eye, but in return Avery's life was kept.

She said: "If we don't take the eye out, cancer cells will spread into the boy's blood and brain. Our lives move from normal to cancer and get rid of cancer only. This is the worst nightmare we have ever met in this week (surgery), but it saved his life . "

The poor boy after surgery to remove his left eye for Rb, but his life was preserved

Last month, another mother, Joanna Murphy, discovered her daughter had eye cancer. But this incident came from Tara Taylor when she looked at Joanna's photo and spotted white spots on the baby's eyes.

GS. Richard Besser, ABC News health and health expert, commented: "This is an emergency. You need to see a doctor immediately. It may be Rb. But if you ignore the sign consequently, the consequences can be very miserable ".

Of course, white spots are not always caused by cancer . But going to the doctor to know if the child does not have the disease is better. It is known that Rb can occur with any child, including a family with a history of cancer. Two-thirds of all cases are Rb in one eye. If you have a baby or a relative with young children, a simple test using a smartphone or a camera with a flash can help detect this.