Mother Liu Peihua from Guangzhou, China, was highly anticipating the birth of her son. She had attended all of her checkups and appointments, completed every test and ultrasound.
Everything about her son’s condition looked normal, so Liu was eagerly waiting for her son to be born.
On September 20, 2016, when Liu’s son was finally born, that was when she discovered that a serious medical defect had remained hidden from all the tests she’d done.
Liu’s son was born with no eyes.
He had anophthalmia, a condition where an infant only develops very little – or no – tissue in their eyes. It is unlikely that Liu’s son will ever be able to see.
Liu is devastated.
She and her family are currently seeking better, more specialized help from a larger hospital in the city, and her son’s story has attracted the attention of the Chinese media.
The young boy, though lacking eyes, behaves just as any other infant. He waves his hands and cries for milk; he just can’t see.
Liu’s family is unsure whether any doctor will be able to help her son, but they’re determined to give him as “normal” and proper of an upbringing as they can.
Anophthalmia does not currently have any method of treatment, and children born with the condition will inevitably have to go return to the hospital for several years to ensure that their skull and eye socks are still developing correctly, even in the absence of an eye.
We’re hoping that Liu’s son might be able to have his eyes and sight repaired, but even if all attempts fail, we do hope that he can live as normal a life as possible.
