Infant glaucoma manifests itself when the baby is still in the womb as cells and tissues around the eye don’t develop conventionally. So, when the eye’s natural fluids are unable to drain properly it can cause a build-up in pressure.
And although it’s not fully understood what causes the disease, doctors believe that it’s hereditary. However, with early detection, corrective surgery can be performed – with an 80-90 per cent success rate.
For Nicolly, though, the prognosis did not look good. Whereas most children have the ability to detect some sort of light, the toddler could see nothing at all. In fact, her fluid build-up had gotten so severe that her hearing was also affected. Consequently, she couldn’t speak. She had also never learned how to walk, unable to follow by example.
