AN Okehampton father has called for awareness of a rare childhood cancer to be raised after his 21-month-old daughter was diagnosed with the condition.

Craig Whittle, who moved to the town with his family in March, has asked for parents to be aware of retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eye, following the diagnosis of the condition in his daughter, Lillia. She was diagnosed following a doctor's visit to correct a lazy eye.

Craig said: 'My daughter will be needing chemotherapy over the coming months, and if that is not successful then she will have her left eye removed and an artificial one fitted.

'Her two older sisters will need to be checked out as well, as the condition is genetic.

'When we first noticed that Lillia had a lazy eye, we just thought she may need to wear a patch over her eye or glasses to correct this.

'We would like to make people aware of this illness so that they don't get the shocking news we did.'

Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a fast growing eye cancer of early childhood. It develops in the cells of the retina, the light sensitive lining of the eye. The cure rate of Rb is one of the best of all childhood cancers, with a 98% survival rate in the UK.

It occurs in two forms, a genetic form, and a non-genetic, non-heritable form. In around two thirds of children with Rb, only one eye is affected.

The signs of Rb include an abnormal appearance of the pupil, which tends to reflect light as a white reflex. Sometimes children have a squint, with less common signs being deterioration of vision, a red irritated eye without infectin, or a change to the colour of one iris.

The cancer is rare, with around 50 to 60 new cases in the UK each year. However, if you are concerned, you should visit your GP or ophthalmologist and get an examination as soon as possible.

For more information on the condition, visit http://www.chect.org.uk">www.chect.org.uk