- Retinoblastoma eye cancer most commonly affects children below 3 years of age (90%).
- 20 to 25% of cases of eye cancer worldwide in children are from India, and 50% of cases worldwide lose their lives due to late detection and inadequate treatment.
- Retinoblastoma is curable if the tumor is detected and treated early, thus saving the life, eye, and vision of the child.
- WHITATHON is L V Prasad Eye Institute’s annual cause-related running event to raise awareness and funds for children with retinoblastoma eye cancer
- 2nd edition of Vijayawada Whitathon Walk to be held on 21 May 2023
Vijayawada, May 17, 2023: Shri P Raja Babu, Krishna District Collector, did the honours of unveiling the T-shirt for the second edition of the Vijayawada WHITATHON WALK 2023 organized by L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI).
Whitation is an annual event hosted by the L V Prasad Eye Institute, dedicated to raising awareness and funds for children affected by life and vison-threatening retinoblastoma eye cancer. Initiated in Hyderabad in 2018, Whitathon has expanded its reach to include Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Bhubaneswar since last year. The Second Edition of the Vijayawada WHITATHON WALK will be organized on 21 May 2023, Sunday, at the Kode Venkatadri Chowdary Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Tadigadapa. The walk has two categories: 5K and 3K.
One of the most common symptoms of Retinoblastoma is White Reflex (white glow) in a child’s eye. Through this walk, LVPEI aims to raise awareness among the public that if they spot a ‘White Reflex’ in a child’s eye, it could be a sign of eye cancer that needs immediate medical intervention. Hence, the event is named ‘Whitathon’.
Treating eye cancer can be a costly and prolonged affair. The funds raised from this run go towards providing free treatment to children from less privileged backgrounds who are afflicted with retinoblastoma. Additionally, the funds help further research into developing innovative treatment alternatives for this ailment. The funds raised from Whitathon have supported the treatment of more than 2000 children with retinoblastoma eye cancer across the LVPEI network.
Dr Anasua Kapoor, Ocular Oncologist at Himabindu Yalamanchili Eye cancer Centre and Head of the Kode Venkatadri Chowdary campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute said, 'It is important to raise awareness about the common symptoms of retinoblastoma in children and educate the public, especially young parents, on the importance of seeking timely medical care. Retinoblastoma is curable if the tumour is detected and treated early, thus saving the life, eye, and vision of the child.'
'We are truly grateful to Sri P Raja Babu for supporting the cause of raising awareness about the early diagnosis and treatment for retinoblastoma eye cancer in young children. Let’s together pledge that - No child dies of eye cancer because of lack of awareness and treatment', she further added.
To register for Vijayawada WHITATHON 2023, click - https://rzp.io/l/FRciCzv
About LVPEI: Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness, is a comprehensive eye health facility. The Institute has ten functional arms to its areas of operations: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Vision Rehabilitation, Rural and Community Eye Health, Eye Banking, Advocacy and Policy Planning, Capacity Building, Innovation and Product Development. The LVPEI Eye Care Network has 275 Centres spread across the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka in India. The institute's mission is to provide equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society. The LVPEI’s five-tier ‘Eye Health Pyramid’ model covering all sections of society right from the villages to the city, provides high quality and comprehensive - prevention, curative and rehabilitation – eye care to all. It has served over 34.14 million (3 crore 41 lakh people), with more than 50% of them entirely free of cost, irrespective of the complexity of care needed.