A mother who discovered her son's cancer after seeing a strange glow in his eyes has issued a warning to other parents.
Megan Brimson, 28, noticed a white glow over her son Arlo, 5, in his right eye while he was playing in the sun and took him to the hospital for a check-up.
He had a routine eye exam, which revealed a large lump in his eye.
Megan and her partner Richard, 29, a digital designer, were taken to the Royal London Hospital in London where Arlo was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer that affects young children.
Arlo had surgery to remove his eye and underwent four rounds of chemotherapy.
However, the young boy has “recovered well” and is awaiting a prosthetic eye.
Megan, a singer from the Isle of Wight, said: “Alo is doing so well we are so proud of him.”
“He’s been cleaning his own eyes, we’ve molded his prosthetic eye and he’s awake for his post-op appointments.
“He is back at school full time and he absolutely loves it.
“His older brother is his best friend, and a really good older brother always makes sure Arlo is comfortable and okay at school.”
In August 2023, Arlo was playing in direct sunlight when Megan noticed a white glow in his eyes.
Megan said: “I found something and the next day my sister took the child.
“I was playing in the direct sunlight in my cousin’s room when I got a call saying my eye had turned completely white.
“I was pregnant at the time and had a health visitor that week so I thought I would ask her for advice.
“They told me to take you to the hospital right away.”
Arlo was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Newport, Isle of Wight, for a routine eye exam and ultrasound.
Meghan said: “At this point we knew something was wrong.
“The doctor said there was a very large lump behind Arlo’s eye, so after the surgery another doctor was called in to look at the pictures.
“This doctor was from Moorfields Eye Hospital. He did not confirm with us that it was cancerous, but referred us to the Royal London Hospital.”
Symptoms of Eye Cancer
According to the NHS
There are shadows, flashes of light, or shaky lines in your vision
blurred vision
dark spots in the eyes that get bigger
Partial or complete loss of vision
protrusion of one eye
An eyelid or eye lump that increases in size
Eye irritation that doesn't go away
Pain in or around the eye (rare)
Megan, Richard and Arlo traveled from the Isle of Wight to London for an assessment where Arlo underwent general anaesthetic.
Doctors examined both of his eyes and confirmed in August 2023 that he had retinoblastoma and would require surgery to remove his right eye.
Meghan said: “I was very emotional because I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time.
“I called my mother first and told her, and she said she would inform the rest of our immediate family on our behalf.
“My husband also called. He was my strong supporter the whole time.”
Arlo underwent four rounds of chemotherapy after having his eye removed in August 2023.
Richard said: “We found out he was broke and had to spend the night.
“As soon as he was admitted, he went in for surgery and didn't really trust the doctors and nurses. It took him a while to get used to his surroundings.”
“When we got him out of the theater, it was a terrible, stressful time.”
“You can do all the preparation in the world with a child, but the shock is always there.
“The first night was difficult. He woke up every 30 minutes in agony.”
After the surgery, Arlo is in remission and is waiting to receive a prosthetic eye.
Megan said Arlo is doing well and has started school.
She said: “Arlo is a very energetic, loud, loving and fun little boy.
“He always pranks me, and his dad is Arlo’s best climbing frame.
“He loves music, has dance parties in the kitchen and is obsessed with Pokémon.
“In fact, during his appointments, Pokémon Go and Nintendo Switch were his lifelines.
“He used to sleep a lot during his appointments. He used to say, ‘Time flies when you sleep.’”
The Children's Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) says typical signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow that may only appear under certain lighting or out of the corner of your eye, a change in the shape of the eye, or a puffy eye. or symptoms.
Richard Ashton, CEO of CHECT, said: “Retinoblastoma is rare, with around one infant or child diagnosed every week in the UK.
“Symptoms can be very subtle, and children often appear healthy on their own, making diagnosis difficult. In less than half of all cases, the child's eye will need to be removed as part of treatment.”