AIBU? Daughter has white eye in flash photo!

[MummaHud]

I’ve worried myself sick with Google & seeing all things retinoblastoma! - I’ve heard of ‘know the glow’ before, so my healthy anxiety really has panicked me after looking at my daughters trick or treating photos I took tonight when she was in bed.

out of 9 photos taken… 1 of them had a white eye. Ive attached the photos.

Ive also attached one of my friends little boy, whose eye may also have the very different tinge to it in a picture at the same lit up place! ( although my daughters is way more obvious 💔 )

she had her eyes dilated last year, October 2024 where she got diagnosed with an astigmatism.. she had a follow up eye test in January this year and all was healthy.

she had a brain CT in March this year due to a head collision at school and she had vomiting.. they needed to check for concussion / bleeds , all was fine.

she also had a follow up eye test in September, 30th - so 3/4 weeks ago… and they checked for all things floaters and again all was healthy.

this picture has thrown me MASSIVELY.

AIBU by worrying myself silly? Has anyone got similar stories?

I’ve managed to get in with the opticians tomorrow at 09:10am!

Because maybe she didn’t see the update and you were still worried the right test hadn’t been done?

Take to optician for eye test

❤️❤️❤️UPDATE AS ABOVE❤️❤️❤️

We went to the opticians. I showed her the pictures and she said that it’s a reflection of the optic nerve from the flash, and was wondering what I was concerned about - I mentioned Retinoblastoma.

She said there’s an additional scan that checks for Glucoma & Diabetes and I paid for it - as I googled and it shows the cross section of the Retina. This was an OTC scan.

She did lots of looking in her eyes, shining the lights and using lots of different things

She also looked across the scan and said that there’s nothing she can see, no fluid etc..

She said all healthy and sent us on our way.

Opticians are not doctors. Do you have an eye hospital where you live?
As in London - Morefield Hospital and Western Eye Hospital .
Some larger hospitals have an 'Eye Unit/Section'.

well done OP. Now you can relax. You were right to take her though.

This so unhelpful, why feed the OP’s anxiety after she has had reassurance from a professional that her daughter’s eyes are fine?
It’s true that opticians are not doctors but they ARE eye experts and definitely have the expertise to recognise any eye abnormalities, causes for concern or issues that need further investigation BY a doctor.

The optician saw the OP’s photo, they heard OP’s concerns, they looked very thoroughly in OP’s daughter’s eyes, and they would definitely have told her to seek further medical advice if they felt it was necessary.

I'm glad to hear that the optician has given your DD a clean bill of health on her eyes OP. However, I do agree with the poster that suggested you get some help with your own anxiety, otherwise by the time your child is fully grown, you'll have given yourself a breakdown. We all worry about our kids OP, but this level of anxiety, even after being given the all clear, is concerning, so get yourself checked out, and if necessary some medication to keep you on a more even keel.

Opticians are experts and can spot anything untoward going on. (Specsavers picked up my DH’s brain tumour). They have thoroughly checked OP’s DD’s eyes and said they are healthy. If they were even a tiny bit concerned they would’ve sent her to the hospital for further tests.

Wow thank you. After reassuring myself following a qualified eye professional seeing nothing untoward on a OTC eye scan which is of the retina and many checks via lights and tools… this has put me back into a rut. I don’t live anywhere near major hospitals like London etc 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

OP you really need to calm down. The optician has said she is fine.

OP, you're spiralling again!

I think you should stop looking at further comments on this post, or even ask MN to remove it, as it seems you're ready to jump to conclusions from the slightest suggestion that something else might be going on, or that the opticians don't know their job.

Go and see your GP, and get yourself sorted out, and please STOP looking on the internet for medical advice, you're clearly not the type of person who should be doing this, as it makes you catastrophise, which doesn't help anyone.

Ignore that poster OP.
You don’t need Moorfields to check something like this! Imagine everyone rushing to the country’s most specialist eye hospital every time they questioned a camera flash reflection! Kindly, you would be wasting their time.

You have done the right thing, the optician 100% is qualified to reassure you on this and would have referred you on if there was anything at all they couldn’t see, weren’t sure about or felt warranted further investigation. Your daughter has the all clear. 👍

Ignore that poster, some people love to stir it up especially if they know a poster is anxious. The photo didn’t look dodgy anyway (there have been a few over the years on here where they did look concerning) plus the expert in their field has examined your DD and said it was fine!
She’s fine.
Now go and take your mind off it…

I'm so sorry you've been feeling so anxious about this OP. I agree with the posters who think you should feel totally reassured by what the optician told you and that if you are struggling in general with anxiety it might be worth looking to get some help.

Health anxiety is debilitating I do understand but the optician has said all is fine and it is.
Your daughter has had many thorough checks on her eyes and brain by the sounds of it so you can be reassured. Don’t let this pass on to your daughter or eat you up!

My dh has some eye problems and he asked the doctor and she said that the best option is to see an optician as they know far more about eyes than she does. If he needed referring to the eye clinic the optician would either do it or ask the GP to refer.
Kindly you need to get some help for yourself before you pass this anxiety onto your dd.

OP, your daughter is fine. Your anxiety needs attention before you start affecting her though.

I am only speaking from personal experience and every one is different. I have been going to Western Eye Hospital about every 3 -6 months, for over 10 years and had several surgeries there. Before that I saw Keith Barton at Morefield for 4 years every 4 months. I have also been to the Eye Clinic at Charing Cross Hospital. I personally have had bad experiences with 2 different optIcians and obviously a GP is not an eye specialist - mine doesn't even know if I can stop taking certain eye drops ( prescribed by hospital)!!

Thank you , yes super unhelpful and as an Optometrist, the one you saw would have seen if your daughter had Retinoblastoma. And nowadays you can't just turn up at an eye A+E you need a referral first from the optometrist. OP hope you are feeling better

But you have health anxiety. If it wasn’t that post it’d be something else that triggered you. Are you able to seek help for this?

Seeing Keith Barton, one of the country's most highly specialised eye surgeons (he sees my DH too) means that you have a very very different experience of eye disease to the general public, who really don't need to go to Moorfields. And especially a small child with a reflection on a photo.

And obviously your GP isn't going to know what to do with your eye drops, they didn't start them and they don't monitor your condition either. They do what the hospital team asks them.