Global Pediatric Ophthalmology Congress

Biography

Biography: Sorath Noorani Siddiqui

Abstract

Retinoblastoma is a global problem affecting many children worldwide. It is the most common intraocular malignancy in children and leads to death if not treated. In high income countries, the goal of treatment is eye and vision preservation while lifesaving is the main goal in low income countries. There are obvious differences in globe survival between developed and developing countries. The most important factor responsible for this difference is the late presentation of the disease/delay in diagnosis in developing countries. At our tertiary eye care center, 217 eyes of 158 children were diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the last four years. Group-A was 0.9%, group-B 16.1%, group-C 4.1%, group-D 9.2% and group E in 70% eyes at first presentation. Globe salvage was not possible in 165 (76.03%) out of 217 eyes due to advanced disease at the time of first presentation. In our set up, reasons for delay in diagnosis are the unavailability of a screening program and health insurance facilities, lack of awareness, refusal for treatment due to greater trust on alternative medicines and spiritual therapies, socioeconomic factors, and the unavailability of treatment facilities close to home and long journeys .In developed countries , besides a good health care system, the modern technique of intra-arterial chemotherapy has resulted in an improved globe survival in children with advanced intraocular involvement. Enucleation is still widely performed in developing countries due to late presentation and the unavailability of intra-arterial chemotherapy. More children could be cured globally by increasing the capacity for the modern technique of intra-arterial chemotherapy in developing countries.