At just eight months old little Hunter Hill has experienced more trauma and pain than most of us.

And there may be more to come for the brave youngster, who was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer just days after he was born.

His parents will have to wait almost five years to find out whether Hunter’s sight will be permanently damaged by the treatment he has had to have to battle his cancer.

The cancer, called retinoblastoma, causes tumours to form in the retina of one of Hunter’s eyes.

However as the retina will continue to develop and grow until he is about five years old, it is uncertain how much damage may be caused.

The youngster has had to have four doses of chemotherapy along with laser surgery to tackle the tiny tumours which have been forming in his eye.

Hunter’s parents Louise and Robert will have to take the youngster for regular tests and check-ups and he faces further treatment to remove any new tumours that form.

Most cases of this type of cancer are cured but some patients are left with sight problems, with others even having one or both of their eyes removed.

Medics are hopeful as Hunter’s condition was picked up early, but it is still too early to say.

Mrs Hill,32, was diagnosed with the same condition, retinoblastoma, when she was a small child and it has left her with 10% vision in one eye and only light perception in the other.

It was because of the family history that Hunter was diagnosed so early, meaning his tumours are being targeted before they have a chance to develop.

Mrs Hill, of Birchgrove Crescent, Brighton, said: “Luckily my condition was picked up when I was being checked for an unrelated squint. It was a fluke because there was no history of it in our family. We are hoping in Hunter’s case he will be okay but we will have to wait and see.

“It means a lot of trips to hospital.

“He is bald at the moment but a lot of babies his age are the same. He is doing really well although the chemo obviously made him feel ill.

“To look at him you would not think anything was wrong.”

Mrs Hill has thrown her support behind World Retinoblastoma Week, which is raising awareness of the cancer and the importance of eye tests.

Mrs Hill said: “People get scared when they hear the words eye cancer but it can be treated.

“It just needs to be picked up as soon as possible and parents need to be aware of the signs.

“In Hunter’s case we were already aware there was a potential problem so he was tested straight away. There was always a 50% chance he would have it. But many parents have not even heard of the condition and that’s why I am supporting the awareness week. It is so important it is picked up as soon as possible so treatment can start immediately.”

The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) has joined forces with Vision Express to highlight the campaign and raise money for the charity as well as the need for regular eye tests.

CHECT chairwoman Joy Felgate said: “In the UK, almost every week a child under the age of five is diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

“Retinoblastoma is often unheard of by parents, so World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week is important to focus attention on the vital signs to spot, and help raise funds.”

The signs of retinoblastoma include the appearance of a whitish reflection, similar to a “cat’s eye” caught in the light, usually seen in dim lighting or in a photo. A squint is sometimes present and the eye can also look sore.

Timeline: tumour found when baby was only one week old

September 3, 2014: Hunter is born September 3-4: A sample is taken from Hunter's blood cord when he is born to see whether he is carrying the cancer gene. The result was positive.

September 10: When he was one week old doctors needed to test Hunter's eyes but because he was so young they did not give him an anaesthetic. Instead he had to be pinned down while doctors looked into his eye. One eye was okay but the other had a one-millimetre tumour.

September 17: When Hunter was two weeks old he was given his first general anaesthetic at the Royal London Hospital so he could have laser treatment to remove the tumour.

October 9: A further check up when he was five weeks old showed the laser treatment had worked.

October 30: At eight weeks Hunter's eye was still showing no problems.

However when he was three months old tests showed the tumour had come back.

December: In early December Hunter was taken to Great Ormond Street in London for his first chemotherapy session. He needed surgery to put in a line so the drugs could be administered and was in hospital for four days.

December: His second session of chemotherapy took place in London just after Christmas but he was only in overnight.

January- March: Hunter then had four more chemotherapy sessions at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton every three to four weeks. Each chemotherapy session lasted for about six hours.

January-March: Hunter has three checks on his eyes at the Royal London. They reveal that while the tumour “went flat” during his treatment, it started to grow back again.

May: Last week Hunter's parents took him to the Royal London Hospital for more laser treatment to remove the tumour, a process which takes about one hour.

June: He is due to go back for another test in a month's time. During his short life Hunter has had eight general anaesthetics and faces the prospect of several more.

Constant check ups over the next five years

As he sits on his mother’s knee and plays with a little toy giraffe, Hunter Hill seems just like any other eight-month-old child.

He is alert and interested in everything going on around him and totally unfazed by the bustling shoppers around him in Churchill Square shopping centre.

But despite his very young age, Hunter has already been through six doses of chemotherapy and several laser treatments which have resulted in him having a general anaesthetic eight times.

The youngster has retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer where tumours form on his retina.

Doctors are constantly checking Hunter’s eyes to remove tumours before they get any bigger.

This is likely to continue for almost another five years as the retina continues to develop so it is too soon to tell how much of Hunter’s sight will be affected by his condition.

It is hoped that as it was picked up so early, Hunter will be okay although it continues to be a worrying waiting game for his parents Louise, pictured, and Robert.

In the meantime they are faced with the challenges that go along with taking an eight month old baby to hospital – sometimes in Brighton and sometimes in London – and all this entails.

Mrs Hill said: “He has been through a lot but he is very resilient and very strong. He’s a very brave little baby.

“The chemotherapy has obviously led to him not feeling very well but he gets through it.

“He likes seeing the nurses at the hospital because he gets a lot of attention from them. At the Royal London they also play music which he likes.

“He also likes people and going out although he sometimes wears sunglasses to protect his eyes.

“One of the difficult things was when he was having chemotherapy. It was difficult to stop him wriggling around and trying to pull out the line feeding the chemicals and drugs .You can’t explain to a little baby of his age why he needs to keep still.

“It is also hard for him because he has to be starved before he has his anaesthetic and so he gets hungry, which can be stressful.

“Obviously it’s worrying for us and having to see him go through the general anaesthetic and then waiting for the doctors to come and talk to you afterwards is very difficult.

“But it was picked up very early and things are going well at the moment so we will just have to wait and see how things go.”