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.

Examination at the institute revealed further shocking news for them – their child had eye cancer in both eyes. However, there was some consolation in that it was at a stage that was treatable by chemotherapy. He was treated under the supervision of the ocular oncologist, Dr. Devjyoti Tripathy, and responded well to chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, he had a tumor recurrence in his left eye a few months after his chemotherapy was completed. The tumor recurrence progressed despite further treatment, and Alok’s parents were faced with their toughest challenge yet – surgical removal of the tumor-affected eye to save their son’s life. They agreed, Alok underwent surgery, and he recovered well.

For the past three years, he has been under regular follow-up and has grown up into a bubbly, cheerful, mischievous three-year-old. His mother states happily that she is thankful that Alok has survived cancer, and though he has lost one eye, the other eye has normal vision. She thanks Dr. Tripathy and LVPEI for the support and guidance provided all throughout Alok’s big fight with eye cancer.

Operation Eyesight has been working closely with LVPEI for more than 20 years. In addition to making quality eye care accessible for underserved communities in India, with the help of a generous donor family, we opened the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at LVPEI’s Hyderabad campus in 2015. To combat the growing number of eye cancer incidences in India, the facility provides cancer treatment for children and adults, all at low or no cost.

The post Little Alok and his big fight appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Most toddlers keep themselves busy exploring their world with bright, wide-open eyes. So when the parents of two-year-old Shiva, from India, noticed a squint in his right eye, they knew right away that something was wrong. They took him to a government hospital where he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

The most common eye cancer in children, retinoblastoma usually affects kids under three years of age. It is treatable when detected early, but 50 per cent of children diagnosed eye cancer worldwide lose their lives due to late detection and inadequate treatment.

Shiva’s parents took him to the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad, where Dr. Swathi Kaliki confirmed the diagnosis. She told the devastated parents that with timely treatment, Shiva would survive the cancer, and although he would lose the affected eye, he would be able to continue to see with his healthy left eye.

Shiva’s right eye was removed, and his chemotherapy treatment spanned five months. Afterwards he was fitted with a prosthetic eye. Today he is a healthy little boy with a bright future.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer was established in 2015 through support from a generous Operation Eyesight donor. The facility provides treatment for both children and adults free of charge if they are unable to afford it.

Shiva’s father, a farm labourer, is grateful for the free, life-saving care the Institute provided his son. “Sometimes we wonder what might have happened to our child if we had not visited LVPEI in time,” he says. “And then we thank God, Dr. Swathi Kaliki and the L V Prasad Eye Institute.”

Today, February 4, is World Cancer Day. Please consider making a donation so you can help provide early diagnosis and eye health treatment for more children like Shiva. Thank you for your support!

The post Toddler saved from deadly eye cancer by early diagnosis and treatment appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

In 2015, we opened the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad, India. The Institute provides comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both children and adults, and patients who cannot afford to pay are offered treatment free of cost. The Institute also offers critically required services to India and other low- and middle-income countries through research, capacity-building and education programs. It has trained several ophthalmologists and optometrists as part of its fellowship program, and has published several research papers in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. The Institute is playing a critical role in increasing awareness about eye cancer, leading to early diagnosis and treatment. 

Anvitha is a 21-month-old toddler from Kerala, India. She has been receiving chemotherapy treatment for retinoblastoma at the Institute. She was due for her next chemotherapy treatment when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a nationwide lockdown. Her parents, Vineeth and Gopika, were worried that they would be unable to safely travel to Hyderabad to take Anvitha for her treatment. Vineeth took to social media to talk about their plight and requested support.  

Fortunately, the local health ministry was able to help arrange their travel and provide necessary permissions. Anvitha safely reached Hyderabad in time to receive her treatment.  

According to Dr. Swathi Kaliki, the Head of Eye Cancer Services at LVPEI, 90 percent of retinoblastoma cases can be cured if they are diagnosed and treated in time. In Anvitha’s case, Dr. Kaliki says that there are good chances that both her eyes and sight will be saved as well.  

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, thousands of families across India have hope that their children can beat eye cancer. Please consider donating today to support our work around the world to ensure that everyone has access to the eye health care they need.  

The post It’s World Retinoblastoma Week! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.