Arwen Somer was diagnosed with retinoblastoma after her mother took photos with a smartphone. Photo: Childhood Eye Cancer Trust/PA Wire

They have become a part of everyday life with an app available for pretty much everything − and now a bold, new advertising campaign is claiming smartphones can detect cancer.

The UK’s Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) is highlighting how the camera on a phone can detect retinoblastoma through flash photography.

Retinoblastoma, or Rb, tumours can develop in the eyes of babies and young children, destroying their vision and threatening their life. The signs of Rb can be very subtle and a child may not appear unwell otherwise.

But when a tumour grows inside a child’s eye, it can reflect back as a white pupil in flash photos. If spotted early, it could save a child’s vision, eyes and life.

CHECT said that with the average person spending hours of their life staring at their phone screen, they should put the devices to better use by using them to look for Rb.

Eilise Somers noticed that one of her four-month-old daughter Arwen’s eyes appeared white when she took a photo of her on her smartphone last year. She was referred to a specialist, who confirmed she had Rb.

Somers, from Harmston, Lincolnshire, said: “She confirmed there was a growth in Arwen’s left eye and made an appointment three days later at Birmingham Children’s Hospital where the definitive diagnosis of retinoblastoma, grade D+ was made.

“At this stage we found ourselves making the heart-breaking decision to have the affected eye removed.”

Since the operation to remove her eye, Arwen has made a full recovery and has just celebrated her first birthday.

CHECT chief executive Joy Felgate said: “Our hope is that our research will mean no child ever has to experience the trauma of losing their eye, their sight, or their life through eye cancer.

“Retinoblastoma is one of the most devastating illnesses children and families can face. Many children have to endure the loss of an eye followed by aggressive bouts of chemotherapy, years of examinations under a general anaesthetic and prosthetic eye care − which, as you can imagine, is particularly traumatic for a toddler.”

It is very treatable and 98 per cent of children will survive, but most will need to have an eye removed.

Apart from a white appearance in flash photography, other signs include a newly onset squint, a change in the colour of the iris, and soreness or swelling in the eye without sign of infection.