About one in 25,000 babies are born with glaucoma, but the disease is curable
Nicolly Pereira, 2, was born with pediatric glaucoma that caused her to be completely blind from birth. She received seven surgeries in her home country of Brazil, all without success. Desperate, her mother, Daiana Pereira, 26, posted her story on Facebook, resulting in more than 30,000 people following the saga of a mother who just wanted her daughter to see.
Nearly $20,000 was raised for Nicolly’s eye surgery through the Facebook page and the International Kid’s Fund. Nicolly had to travel to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami for surgery performed by Dr. Alana Grajewski. She was in the U.S. for 6 weeks, heading back to Brazil on Monday.
Usually glaucoma is seen in aging adults. However, about one in 25,000 babies are born with it, but the disease is curable. Nicolly was totally blind, unable to even discern light from dark. The disease causes increases fluid pressure in the eye. Normally children have eye pressure of 10 to 20. Nicolly’s was at 50.
Dr. Grajewski was apprehensive when she saw the severity of the toddler’s condition. However, after a 3-hour surgery, Nicolly’s eye pressure is down to 12 and she can see her mother for the first time. She smiled widely and pressed her forehead against Daiana’s. Daiana said, “My daughter is free now. She now shines more than before. She has now become a reference for people who didn’t believe in miracles.”
Daiana believed for a long time that her daughter was also deaf. The child did not walk or talk, and she thought her daughter might be developmentally disabled. After the doctors in Miami examined her they found that she had water buildup in her inner ears. It took about a 30-minute operation to drain her ears, done on the same day as the eye surgery. Nicolly can now see, hear, sing and even stand on her own.
Nicolly wears rose-colored glasses, as she is nearsighted, but the little girl appears delighted with her new life. Her sight will continue to change as her eyes heal from the surgery, and Grajewski said that she is not certain what the end result will be, but vision should continue to improve.
Doctors donated their services to perform the surgeries on Nicolly.
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