Heather Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire, visited the parliamentary drop-in event held by the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust to learn more about retinoblastoma and to meet people who are affected by the condition.
The event, held during World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week, gave MPs the opportunity to meet children and teenagers with the condition as well as their parents.
During the event, Heather learnt that children with retinoblastoma can experience delays in being diagnosed. As a rare condition (one child a week in the UK is diagnosed), parents and healthcare professionals are often unfamiliar with the warning signs that require urgent examination and referral. The resulting delays can have a devastating impact on the child’s sight, with over a half of babies and children with retinoblastoma currently losing an eye to save their life.
Commenting on her visit, Heather said:
"Retinoblastoma, as a rare condition, is one that does not usually feature in the news but the impacts it can have on those affected and their loved ones can be enormous. These effects will also be lifelong and it was moving to meet those who have been living with retinoblastoma; some for many years.
I will be writing to all the GP surgeries serving patients in South Derbyshire to raise awareness of retinoblastoma among healthcare professionals and if you are interested in learning more then please take a look at the fact sheet included with this article."