Mullenlowe SSP3 Mexico Spotlights How a Simple Photo Can Save Children’s Lives

FlashTest is a campaign to raise awareness about the most common eye cancer among children under five and to promote early detection by encouraging parents to take a simple photograph with a cell phone using the flash.

Retinoblastoma is the most common cancer in children under five years old. If detected in early stages, there is a 95% recovery rate. Symptoms are not obvious until it’s too late, so they are teaching Mexican Mothers to detect the illness themselves by taking a simple flash photo which reveals a “white pupil” – a sign of the disease.

This mobile-first campaign targets mothers of young children, based on three cultural insights: They are the main caregivers of children in Mexico. They take twice as many photos with their phones than the average person. There is an immense bond of sisterhood among mothers to care for every child.

The campaign was created with the F.A.P. Institute of Ophthalmology Conde de Valenciana I.A.P. and MullenLowe SSP3 Mexico and is accessible across Latin America.

In addition to raising awareness, the Ophthalmology institute offers a free consultation with top specialists in Latin America for those children who end up reflecting the symptoms with the "white Pupil". More information is available here.