A YOUNG girl who is battling rare and aggressive eye cancer was the guest of honour at the opening of two new opticians.

Tyraah Bell-Lama was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony at Vision Express Tesco to help the launch the Portman Road and Napier Road stores in Reading.

The four-year-old, who was diagnosed on Christmas Eve 2014, was on hand to mark Retinoblastoma Awareness Week (May 13-19).

Her mum Jade knew something was wrong when she noticed a slight squint and a white glow in her right eye in family photos.

She said: “As a parent, sometimes I think you just know. Although I already knew in my heart that Tyraah had Retinoblastoma in one of her eyes, it was still a shock to hear the words out loud when she was diagnosed.

“Christmas Day that year was really strange. We went to my nan and granddad’s house and everyone was very subdued. There just wasn’t anything to celebrate and at that point we had no idea what the future held.

“Things moved very quickly after the diagnosis and Tyraah had her first chemo treatment just three weeks later.”

In order to save her eye and her life, Tyraah needed six lots of chemotherapy followed by cryotherapy and laser therapy.

Thanks to her treatment, she is now able to enjoy life by attending nursery and playing with other children.

Jade added: “She is now on the right track, with regular check-ups showing improvements in sight in her right eye.

“She has always been a smiling, happy child, who loves everybody and everything. You really wouldn’t know that she has been through all of this."

Vision Express uses an award-winning partnership to raise awareness of Retinoblastoma.

Samantha Prince, store manager, said: “We were honoured to welcome the Tyraah and her family to our store, to share their personal experience of eye cancer.

“Many people don’t realise that eye tests at school are no longer mandatory and this is a perfect opportunity for Vision Express to let people know about the importance of regular eye exams for children.”