by Baby Spotted With ‘Golden Glow’ Around Eye Was A Healthy, Happy Two-Year Shows Off His Prosthetic A Year On
Bowers, 30, from New Zealand, her son Nine-month-old Mason Page, who was ʟᴇFᴛ ʙʟɪɴᴅ in one eye, will soon be given his first ᴘʀᴏsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ eye, something his mother Sarah Bowers called a ‘miracle’.
In June, 2015, Sarah Bowers noticed a golden glow in her 16-week-old baby boy Mason’s eye while taking photos of him in the bath. Sarah first noticed something was wrong when photos she had taken of Mason revealed a ‘golden glow’ in his ʟᴇFᴛ eye. She remembered a story she had read while pregnant about a mother who had noticed the same glow in her son’s eye – and it had turned out to be a ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ called Cᴏᴀᴛ’s ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ which ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs just one in 100,000 children.
Coats’ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ is caused by a problem with the arteries and veins inside the eye that provide ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ to the ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ. These ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs are usually located in the temporal ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ. In Coats’ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ, the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs ᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ, abnormally twisted and leaky. This prevents the normal flow of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ and allows fluid to leak out of the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ vessels causing a buildup of fatty (lipid) material into the ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ. If a large amount of fluid builds up, it can cause a ᴅᴇᴛᴀᴄʜᴍᴇɴᴛ of the ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ and loss of ᴠɪsɪᴏɴ. This ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ typically ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs the ᴠɪsɪᴏɴ in only one eye.
The next day, Mason was taken to his GP, who referred him immediately to an eye sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ. An examination confirmed that Mason was in fact completely ʙʟɪɴᴅ in his ʟᴇFᴛ eye. The truth is hard to accept.
Sarah said: ‘I was completely sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ to learn this news, as other than a sᴛᴀᴘʜ ɪɴFᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ in that eye, he had never had any signs of being ʙʟɪɴᴅ. ‘His pupil dilates, the eye follows things and responds to light.’
The eye sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ told the family that the ʙʟɪɴᴅness could be related to Cᴏᴀᴛ’s ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ – a cᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ that causes ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ development in the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs behind the ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ of the eye –and ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴏʙʟᴀsᴛᴏᴍᴀ – a ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴀʟɪɢɴᴀɴᴛ eye ᴛᴜᴍᴏᴜʀ found in young children.
Sarah and Mason were flown to Auckland the next morning to see another doctor who had ᴅᴇᴀʟᴛ with cases of ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴏʙʟᴀsᴛᴏᴍᴀ and other eye ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴs and Mason was put under a ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ so he could be ᴇxᴀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ. the tests ᴄᴏɴFɪʀᴍᴇᴅ he was ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ʙʟɪɴᴅ in his ʟᴇFᴛ eye and that he had a ᴅᴇᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴀ. He would have no hope of ᴏF ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠering any sight to the eye.
With the uncertainty surrounding the ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴄᴇ of ʀᴇᴛɪɴᴏʙʟᴀsᴛᴏᴍᴀ, the doctor ᴀᴅᴠɪsᴇᴅ the best and sᴀFᴇsᴛ choice for Mᴀsᴏɴ was the ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴀʟ of his eye ,both to ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ the sᴘʀᴇᴀᴅ of any ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ in the eye and to allow ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs and ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.
Mᴀsᴏɴ then went under ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ again to have and MRI. The family faced an ᴀɢᴏɴɪsɪɴɢ wait over the weekend while they waited for the ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛs.
Fortunately, the MRI showed no sign of ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ in Mason’s body, but Sarah was advised that the ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴀʟ of Mason’s eye would be the safest option for them, as they ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ɢᴜᴀʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴇ that he was definitely ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ free until they ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ his eye and checked it thoroughly.
Sarah said: ‘At this point we made the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ decision to proceed with the ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴀʟ of Mason’s eye. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my ʟɪFᴇ, but what it came down to was potentially my baby boy’s ʟɪFᴇ, or his eye – and that made the choice bearable.’
The most priceless and happier gift Sarah’s family received on Christmas Eve was Mason getting the most natural-looking, realistic-looking eye transplant on Christmas Eve. Mason Mason is pictured after getting his new ᴘʀᴏsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ eye on Christmas Eve, 2015
All grown up! Over a year on from receiving his new eye, the little boy is healthy and happy and will turn two years old on Sunday (pictured now with his prosthetic eye in).
