KATHMANDU, APRIL 12The daily lifestyle of sixyear-old Sunidhi Paija Pun, a Grade II student currently living in Chitwan, appears similar to that of any other girl of her age.

It's hard for people to notice that one of her eyes is artificial. New species of bird detected in Chitwan Efforts on to make anti-cancer drugs more accessible Sunidhi was diagnosed with fatal retinoblastoma when she was around two years old.

Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that begins in the retina of the eye and is normally seen among children below five years of age. After undergoing various kinds of cancer treatment, doctors removed the eyeball to stop it from spreading to the brain, which could have turned fatal if left untreated.Sunidhi is considered lucky in the sense that her mother was clever enough to notice the problem and took her to the hospital soon.

Her eye ball was replaced with custom ocular prosthesis, which looks exactly like natural eye and normal people can't easily find the difference.

Sunidhi is one of the smartest girls in her class.

"There are times when friends tease me and I feel embarrassed, but that doesn't discourage me from focusing on my studies," said Sunidhi.A recent survey across Nepal - Nepal Retinoblastoma Research - revealed that every year 13 children or every one child in every 15,000 suffer from this cancer on an average.

The fatality rate of the cancer is around 25 to 30 per cent in Nepal while in the developed countries only one per cent of children die of retinoblastoma.Considering the risk, doctors suggest that parents should be watchful about symptoms of the disease in children, as it is curable if diagnosed on time.

Dr Ben Limbu, a cataract and oculoplastics surgeon who has been conducting various philanthropic works across the country, suggested that parents should get their children's eyes checked regularly.The common symptoms that start occurring after two years are Leukocoria meaning white pupil that reflects white light upon direct illumination of the light source, the infected eyes become squinted, eyes turn red, and later start bulging out."Identifying these common symptoms can not only save the eye but also save the lives of children as cancer can spread to the brain if not cured on time," Dr Limbu said.Limbu, who also conducts various free health camps for the treatment of retinoblastoma has devised a plan to check the eyes of young children.

It is called the 'Community Children Eye Programme' where one eye doctor or medical representative from ophthalmology will be present at regular vaccination centres across health offices in the country.Today alone, 13 children, who had their eyes removed, received standard custom ocular prosthesis eyes with the support of Dr Limbu and other helping hands during a programme in the capital today.

Others who joined this initiative are the Koenig family from Germany.Gregor Koenig and his wife Monika are campaigners against retinoblastoma.Their journey began 15 years ago when they found out their daughter Camilla had retinoblastoma.

Gregor remembers being scared all the time after Camilla was diagnosed with cancer.

It scared the new parents so much that they were worried whether their daughter could lead a normal life."But, after a year of cancer, we found that our baby was happy and fit like any other child of her age.

It gave us huge relief," Gregor said.In the following years, the Koenings established KAKS foundation with the help of friends, family, and supporters for early detection of retinoblastoma, quality research on eye cancer, and comprehensive help across the world.A version of this article appears in the print on April 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times. .

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