Pediatric Oncology Program

Patient and Family Education

Retinoblastoma

Symptoms and Diagnosis

The most common symptom of retinoblastoma is the unusual appearance of a child's eye, and it is usually first noticed by the child's parent or pediatrician.

The pupil of the eye may appear white instead of red when a light is shone in the eye, or the child's eyes may appear to be aimed in different directions.

Sometimes children with retinoblastoma have pain in the eye, redness in the white of the eye, or a pupil that stays dilated. Infants with a family history of the disease should be examined early and often during the first few years of life.

If a doctor suspects that a child has retinoblastoma, he or she can use special equipment (lights and lenses) to examine the retina. The child will be given general anesthesia so that the doctor can examine the eye thoroughly. The doctor will not take a biopsy of eye tissue, because such a procedure would damage the eye and it is possible to accurately diagnose the disease without a biopsy.

This page was last updated on: October 20, 2009.