A baby has been born in China with a condition that means no eye tissue, including the actual eyeball, has formed.
The little boy was born last week and was not expected. Anophtalmia cannot be spotted in ultrasounds and conventional tests during pregnancy.
While certainly not common it’s not as rare as you think with Eyecare Trust in the UK estimating that it affects one in 10,000 births. In comparison being born without a nose, a condition called complete congenital arhinia, is believed to occur in only one in 197 million births.
According to the Eyecare Trust. anophthalmia is the term used when there is a total lack of an eye, indicating some outside interruption during foetal development very early after conception.
“Obviously there is no sight and therefore no treatment can be offered,” the site says.
As for causes, the National Eye Institute these may include genetic mutations and abnormal chromosomes. “Researchers also believe that environmental factors, such as exposure to X-rays, chemicals, drugs, pesticides, toxins, radiation, or viruses, increase the risk of anophthalmia and microphthalmia, but research is not conclusive.”
Despite not being able to restore sight, medical specialist can fit a “painted prosthesis that looks like a normal eye and is usually fitted between the ages of one and two. The average child will need three to four new painted prostheses before the age of 10.
The mum in China told People’s Daily Online that her baby appears normal in every other way and she hopes to be able to access treatment with the help of charities.
The baby’s mum. PHOTO People’s Daily Online
The baby without a nose
On March 4, 2014, Timothy Eli Thompson was born in the US. Along with everyone in the delivery room that day, his mum Brandi McGlathery was surprised to learn that her otherwise perfectly healthy second child was born without a nose.
As mentioned earlier, this is an extremely rare condition. And in a more recent story available, written when he was six months old, his mum said things were a bit tough due to Eli’s own health problems and his parents splitting up, but he was enjoying his food and loved it when she sang to him. Another recent story, when he was nine months old, said he was crawling.
