White Pupil - Retinoblastoma Flyer
POA has developed a new White Pupil/Retinoblastoma flyer designed to be displayed by optometrists in their offices as well as at public venues such as grocery stores, malls and other retail outlets. Thanks to sponsorship from the Northwestern Optometric Society, the color flyer can be ordered from POA at no charge at Deb@poaeyes.org or (717) 233-6455, or you can download and print it yourself.
Lola's Story
A beautiful baby, Lola Barkema loves to smile for photos. But there was a time when Lola's photos just didn't look right to her mom, Kelli Barkema. Barkema would look at her daughter's pictures and sense something was wrong - there always seemed to be the appearance of a white pupil in her left eye.
Three trips to the pediatrician didn't result in an explanation that satisfied Barkema. She was told Lola's wandering left eye was something she would outgrow, but Barkema remained concerned. She started collecting photos and documenting what Lola's left eye was doing.
Barkema decided to bring Lola in for an assessment at the vision care practice where she was employed. Barkema's instincts were confirmed, something was very wrong. The doctor broke down with the news that Lola had retinoblastoma, a rare but serious cancer, and was in for a battle for her life.
Thankfully, Lola's story has a happy ending as she is now cancer free. But Barkema wondered what her family could do to educate others about one of the most common symptoms of retinoblastoma - repetitive photos of a child with a white pupil in one or both eyes. And while a white pupil could also indicate other vision disorders, like amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (eye turn), a comprehensive eye and vision exam is the best way to ensure that a children have healthy eyes and are developing good vision.
The Pennsylvania Optometric Association saw Lola's story as an opportunity to help educate the public. To that end, as part of its Kids Welcome Here® initiative, POA has designed an educational flyer that was released at the association's 2011 Spring Congress. In addition to optometric and allied health offices, the flyers are designed to be posted in grocery stores, malls, retail outlets and other public venues. The first 5,000 flyers have been released in Pennsylvania with the goal of additional funding to expand the program to optometrists in other states.
Pennsylvania has over 400 optometrists who have volunteered to see any baby in the first year of life for an assessment at no charge under the InfantSEE® banner of the American Optometric Association - whether or not a parent has a specific concern. Doctors participating in InfantSEE can be found at www.infantsee.org.
No one could be happier with the new flyers than little Lola, now four years old. "Look mommy, here is my good eye, and here is my bad eye," she exclaimed when she saw the flyer.
