Four-year-old Priyansh’s story begins in March 2023 when his father, Raj, noticed a strange glow in his little boy’s eyes. It was an observation that would end up saving Priyansh’s life.
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.
Alok was just four months old when he was first brought by his parents to the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) at Bhubaneswar in June 2019. They had noticed a white spot on the black portion of his left eye, sought consultation with a local ophthalmologist, and had been referred to the institute on the suspicion of eye cancer (retinoblastoma) in his left eye.
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.
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!
Every year, the second week of May is World Retinoblastoma Week. It is an opportunity to raise global awareness of retinoblastoma, a life-threatening eye cancer that is almost exclusively found in young children. Although retinoblastoma can be treated with chemotherapy, globally there is a low survival rate because patients are often diagnosed too late. This problem is especially prevalent in developing countries, where it can be difficult to access specialized eye health care.
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.
Seven-year-old Deborah lives in a small farming community in Ghana. After school and on weekends, she and her seven siblings help their parents on their cocoa farm.
When Deborah was four years old, she suffered an eye injury when she was hit in her left eye with a stick. The injury didn’t seem to affect her daily activities, until she developed a protrusion through a weak point in her eye and a corneal ulcer. As a result, Deborah suffered from severe pain in her left eye, and regular headaches and fever. This illness kept her from attending school regularly.
Deborah’s mother, Rebecca, felt completely helpless. She hated seeing her young daughter in constant pain. They travelled to different hospitals to try to get help for Deborah, but they couldn’t afford the treatment, and Rebecca wasn’t able to end her daughter’s suffering.
Rebecca was given hope for her daughter when a midwife visiting their village recommended they visit the Essikado Government Hospital, a surgical outreach post for Watborg Eye Services, an Operation Eyesight partner.
Through the generosity of our donors, Deborah was given the surgery she needed and is doing very well. Rebecca is very relieved that her daughter’s pain has subsided, and that she will be able to return to school on a regular basis as soon as she has healed from the surgery.
This Mother’s Day, you can bring hope to a mother like Rebecca by helping her get the medical care her child needs. Please donate to Operation Eyesight to help prevent blindness and restore sight for women and girls. Every dollar will be used to ensure they get the quality eye health care they need right now, and well into the future. You can choose to make a donation in the name of your own grandmother or mother or another important woman in your life.
When you think of Operation Eyesight and our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness, the word “cancer” may not come to mind. However, eye cancer is a cause of blindness, and in some cases, this blindness could have been avoided with early detection.
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.
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.
Sight restored. Cancer beaten. Lives saved! And all thanks to our generous donors!
In September 2015, we opened the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer in India in response to the shocking fact that every day, four children in India are born with eye cancer. Through its early detection and integrated treatments programs, the Institute has prevented hundreds of children from losing their sight to retinoblastoma, a life-threatening eye cancer almost exclusively found in young children.
Fortunately, with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, we can save 95 percent of children suffering from retinoblastoma, and in 75 percent of cases, the child’s vision can be saved.
The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer was established at the prestigious L V Prasad Eye Institute in the city of Hyderabad, thanks to a generous contribution from a Canadian donor family. 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. Since its opening, we’ve screened nearly 40,000 people, diagnosed more than 1,700 patients with eye tumours and performed 6,445 procedures including surgeries and chemotherapy.
The Institute also offers critically required services to India and other developing 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.
There are only a few centres around the world – and none in Asia – that specialize in this type of integrated treatment and serve as a global resource centre. We’re extremely grateful for our donors’ support in providing such a vital service to India and beyond.
In India, retinoblastoma, along with other types of eye cancer, has largely remained undetected due to lack of awareness and the limited availability of affordable eye cancer treatment. In fact, India has the highest number of new cases of eye cancer in the world and more than half of the global burden of eye cancer.
The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer will play a critical role in increasing awareness about eye cancer, leading to early diagnosis and treatment. With your continued support, we will save many more lives!
Since we started working in India in 1963, Operation Eyesight has made great strides in that country. Our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health model has been endorsed by Vision 2020 India, and other organizations look to us as leaders in the eye health community.
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!