Stable

Anya had an appointment with the ophthalmologist on Wednesday and he said that both her eyes look stable.  What that means is that the tumors have not grown and there are no new tumors.  He was able to do the exam in his office, so Anya did not need to be under anesthesia.  She is such a regular, that we now have our own drops to dilate her eyes before going to the office, so we don't have to wait the extra time for her eyes to dilate.  She does a wonderful job sitting still (or just squirming a little) and allowing the doctor to look with his bright light and special lenses.  She will still need many exams under anesthesia, but it is a relief for us that she can do some of the check-ups in office.

There remains the possibility that Anya will lose her right eye.  In that case, she would have a prosthetic eye, and from what we hear, that technology is pretty amazing.  She would, of course, not be able to see out of it, but it would be difficult for someone else to tell that it was not her original eye.  If the tumor does not grow and no new tumors arrive, she should be able to keep her eye.  The other problem is that with the detached retina, it is possible that the retina could wrap itself around the tumor.  If that happens, the doctor would no longer be able to see the tumor to know if it is growing or not.  That would be another case where removal of the eye would be necessary.

From now until about January is the critical time for Anya.  These are the months during which tumor recurrence is most likely.  With every doctor's visit and exam under anesthesia, we hold our breath.  "Stable" is precisely what we want to hear.