Smartphones have made our lives easy. With a touch you can check your emails, get in touch with your loved ones who are miles away . Technology is definitely a boon especially when it helps you detect diseases like cancer with just a click. A British non-profit organisation, Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), working in the field of childhood cancer has revealed that smartphones can detect eye cancer generally found in children under the age of five. According to the organisation, the flash from a smartphone camera can easily spot retinoblastoma a rare type of aggressive cancer which develops as a tumour in the retina.
Experts at the cancer trust saved the life of a four month old girl who was suffering from retinoblastoma. CHECT chief executive Joy Felgate said that their research will protect many children from the trauma of losing his/her eyesight because of eye cancer.
How does the smartphone help?
The smartphone is used as a diagnostic tool. When photographed with a flash, a white glow around the pupils is seen among children who have the disease. When the tumour grows inside the eye it reflects as a white pupil in the photos. If it is spotted early, it can save a child’s vision and life. CHECT ran an ad campaign last year promoting the use of smartphones as a diagnostic tool. Posters of children’s eyes that flashed white when photographed thanks to the use of reflective ink were put up.
However, doctors say that spotting a white flash in a child’s pupil is not a definitive diagnosis of retinoblastoma but it is always worth following up.
No comments:
Post a Comment