To be panicking right now?

[Ceirrno]

My kids are at their dads and my ds age 9 has just sent me a picture of my ds age 5, just messing around, but I'm now panicking...

I've cropped the picture so it's not identifying, but am I right to be worried about this? Has anyone had pictures like this before and it not been caused by anything bad?

@ToadOfSadness my ds we just messaging me because he's bored, there's a serious of pictures of my younger ds posing- he won't know there's anything wrong with it at all.

Thanks for replies everyone... It's only because the eyes don't match that it worries me, just red eye is obviously nothing to worry about- but one is white. The comment about two different light sources is reassuring though.

I'd book a routine eye appointment for him, but I'm a keen amateur photographer and have had some very odd flash reflections in my grandkids eyes at times. Try not to panic.

it's vanishingly unlikely to be anything serious, the angle of gaze there with the wide pupil means it's most likely a simple reflection of the flash from the optic disc

Go to your local optom as soon as convenient and let them look, and don't panic in the mean time.

Some info here

Kids should have their eyes tested every year - it's free

I don't understand how parents take their kids for teeth but not eyes

any othr symtoms?
go to the optitions not gp.they are trained to look and literally see right into the eye behind,all round and spot anything.
please please don't take this for me saying this is what it is but often times patient saved by optitions who have spotted tumours by looking in eyes where gps see headaches,surface problems.
don't be flustered for now.your getting it sorted.that all you can do.xx

Definitely go to the opticians first, but I'm pretty sure it can be nothing, when I've seen pics of bad things the bad eye looks totally flat and white from what I remember? Try not to stress.

Get your DS to an opitican's asap.

A friend of mine her little boy had the same come up in some pictures she'd put up on FB and it was some of us(her friends)that had noticed and pointed out and she got her little boy checked out and it was retinoblastoma,he was only about 2 at the time,that was a few years ago now and he's fine,very healthy and doing really well.

It could be nothing and I don't want to scare you but after that happening to someone I know I always think it's best to get these things checked out,fingers crossed that it's nothing

This is a good website and they do say the commonest cause is the flash hitting the optic nerve in one eye but to get it checked. Try not to panic.

Go to the opticians - they can take a look and do some screening tests.

Take your DS to the opticians when you can. If you ring them they might be able to squeeze you in if you voice your concerns.

For those asking, a symptom of retinoblastoma can be a white reflex in one eye when a flash photocopy taken. It is however very rare indeed. Only around 40-50 are diagnosed a year (mostly under 5 years of age).

A white reflex can be caused by a huge variety of reasons - you must keep that in mind.

I had retinoblastoma as a child so I'm quite knowledgeable about the whole thing.

*photograph not photocopy!

^^ I was about to say that 5 is quite old for retinoblastoma, which lowers the (very small) odds again.

I'd take some of your own flash pictures and if the effect appears consistently get him checked.

Agree with others opticians first, had similar with my daughter. Photo with one white eye. Took her for a check up and all was fine so it doesn't necessarily mean something bad and easy to check.

Were there other photos without that? Because I think the real sign is if it's in all flash photos.
My oldest had a set of photos that were taken and almost all were like that. She was checked out and it was fine.

I read somewhere that it only counts if your are looking directly into the cameras, I’m not sure the source tho. Try not to worry.

I panicked when I saw a similar pic of my ds3's eyes and rushed him to the optician. Everything was fine , but yes it can be a rare eye cancer and photos are often the way those cancers are first picked up. However they are very rare so I wouldn't worry.

My son aged about 15/12 had this in a picture - I panicked knew about retinoblastoma & took him to Eye Casualty then same day.

All well, thank goodness - he had a very slight squint making the optic nerve reflect in one eye but not the other.

Hope all well.

My DS had this in a photo aged 4 or 5. His eyes didnt point in exactly the same direction because the bridge of his nose wasnt symmetrical which pushed out the symmetricalness of his eyes iyswim. The optician said he would grow out of it as his head got bigger, and he has and is a fairly normal looking (if somewhat smelly) teenager now.

My son had retinoblastoma and thankfully it is really, really rare. Only around 50 children a year are diagnosed and a diagnosis after the age of 3 is even rarer still, so the odds are in your favour.

Please either go to your GP and ask for a red reflex test or go to Vision Express, their partner charity is the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust and they are very hot on proper checks and early diagnosis.

In all likelihood it is nothing, but you will feel so much better after he’s been checked.

If you want to read up on it, this link might be helpful (the older children in these photos are part way through or post-treatment, not new patients)
chect.org.uk/about-retinoblastoma-2/whiteeye/

Don’t panic so much op, I had exactly the same thing happen but my dd has a brain abnormality anyway so I was freaking out but it was just the camera angle.

Just call your gp and explain and they usually give same day appts for this kind of stuff

Xx

@EveningHare I’m sure you’re not meaning to imply that people shouldn’t get their eye checked if they see a photo like that. We missed two photos with the glow because we weren’t aware of it as a symptom and our GP misdiagnosed DS with a squint, delaying his access to treatment by 5 months. He lost his eye because of this. It really is so important that people get checked quickly, even if 99% of the time it is nothing.

OP - I get where your coming from. We had the same - a photo with a clearly white pupil showing. Rushed DD to opticians in a panic. It was fine - just the way the photo was developed apparently.

Try to stay calm, but your smart to check it out.

Sorry to hear that banging - it must have been awful for you.

@GreenTulips my kids do have regular eye tests anyway.

I've been into the opticians, the assistant took my phone immediately to show the optician, because nothing was noted on his last eye test they think it's unlikely to be anything serious, but we've got an appointment for Thursday.

I am still concerned though because although they said that there was nothing noticed at the last appointment, we have a condition that causes light sensitivity and he really couldn't keep his eyes open when they were doing that part of the test. I know when I have my own that it's genuinely agonising when they shine the light in my eye, and it took them ages to do it, the optician got very frustrated with him, but she was also rather inexperienced.

Thank you so much for all the advice... It really does help.

the 2 eyes are reflecting the flash in different ways, the angle of the shot was probably to one side, the tumour issue you are worrying about would show itself as more as a non reflective surface that would suck in the light and the eye would be more black; stop panicking.

@BangingOn no, of course not, i meant it as a 'dont worry its probably nothing - (not a dig, but couldnt work out the right words to put down that didnt sound like a dig... )