During World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week (9-15 May), the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) has revealed that 24 per cent of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in 2020 took more than six months to be diagnosed – compared to an average of nine per cent in the previous eight years.
Welcoming the introduction of new Covid-19 urgent eyecare services (CUES), the UK eye cancer charity also revealed that only 35 per cent of children fell within the recommended two-week referral period, the lowest figure since 2012.
Retinoblastoma is a rare form of eye cancer found in babies and children up to the age of six. Around one child a week is diagnosed in the UK, according to CHECT. The charity is therefore welcoming CUES as an additional potential route to diagnosis for concerned parents. The service is fully funded, and provides urgent assessment, treatment or referral by a local optometrist for sudden onset eye problems. More urgent cases will be seen within 24 hours.
Parents of babies and children displaying any of the signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma can self-refer direct to practices offering CUES to ensure an urgent, detailed eye examination.
Patrick Tonks, CEO of CHECT, said: “We know there have been huge pressures placed on healthcare professionals this past year, but the delays in diagnosis we have seen in 2020 have the potential to seriously impact the prognosis for babies and children with eye cancer. We welcome the new community urgent eyecare service as a potential route to alleviate some of the current pressures on the health service, and ensure babies and children with retinoblastoma undergo a detailed examination as soon as any symptoms are observed, followed by an urgent onward referral where necessary. In areas where CUES is not yet in place, we would recommend parents contact their GP or local optometrist in the first instance.”
For more information on retinoblastoma visit the CHECT website.
Find CUES providers here.