RAWALPINDI: The incidence of eye cancer is increasing in Pakistan and the situation calls for early detection, diagnosis and proper treatment.

Almost 30pc of patients with eye cancer are children and the growing threat needs to be mitigated, according to Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.

Annually, almost 2,200 people are diagnosed with eye cancer and the number is growing therefore the trust has established a Cancer Eye Clinic to provide assistance to the needy, said Prof Dr Tayyab Afghani, consultant and HOD of Orbit and Oculoplastic Department at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.

He said timely detection can save sight as the problem gets complicated with the passage of time and may cause vision loss, loss of the eye or may also prove to be fatal. Eye problems should not be taken lightly and a doctor must be consulted without delay as the number of people with eye cancer is on the rise but patients are brought to hospitals only in the final stages of the disease, he added.

Dr Afghani said most children facing eye cancer belong to poor families living in remote areas and facilities are not available to them. He said there are five specialists in the trust to provide assistance to people suffering from eye cancer however, the programme must be expanded to provide relief to maximum number of patients.

Some tumours are incurable, while others may severely disfigure the eyes and require complex surgical procedures, he said, adding many eye injuries due to accidents require plastic surgery but eye problems due to cancer need more time and effort.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2021