Retinoblastoma is a medical condition that occurs if you develop a cancerous tumor within the retina---the delicate nerve tissue that lines the back of your eye. This type of cancer occurs most commonly in children under the age of five and is diagnosed in approximately 250 children within the United States each year, based upon estimates provided by the University of Virginia Health System.
Eye Pain
Retinoblastoma can cause pain to develop in one or both eyes, depending upon the extent of tumor growth. Pain due to retinoblastoma can occur within or around the affected eye. Such symptoms can cause your child to complain that her eyes hurt or you may notice that she frequently rubs at the affected eye. Tumor growth within the retina can also cause redness or irritation to develop within or around the eyes. Your child's eyes can appear bloodshot or may tear or water frequently. Typically, painful eye symptoms are mild but can become more severe as this disease progresses.
Crossed Eyes
If your child has retinoblastoma, one or both of his eyes can begin to appear misaligned or crossed---a medical condition referred to as strabismus. Your child may have difficulty focusing both eyes on you while you are speaking to her. Such symptoms can contribute to vision problems, such as blurred, cloudy or double vision. Your child may complain that she feels dizzy or that her head hurts if she develops these eye-related retinoblastoma symptoms.
White Pupil
Children with retinoblastoma develop a white light reflex when light is shown into the pupil of the eye. This condition, which is referred to as leukocoria, causes your child's pupil to appear white. Such symptoms are typically most noticeable in flash photographs of your child, explains the National Cancer Institute. Healthy children may appear to have red pupils in some flash photos, a side effect commonly called red-eye. In children with retinoblastoma, the pupil can appear white rather than red in flash photographs.
