Mother calls for better eye tests after baby’s ordeal

Young Harry’s cataract was missed in two examinations before being spotted

A Fife mother whose baby boy’s cataract was missed in two medical tests has called for better screening for babies.

Carly Gardner’s 12-month-old son Harry was examined at birth and again at six weeks but a cataract in his left eye was missed both times.

Carly, 30, from Cellardyke, said she noticed a squint in his left eye but was reassured it was harmless.

She said: “I wasn’t really happy about the squint but had been told twice that there was nothing wrong with Harry’s eye.

“My health visitor wasn’t convinced either and Harry was referred to eye specialists at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

“By that time he was five months old. “There, an ophthalmologist spotted the cataract and Harry underwent surgery to remove it.

“His lens had also to be removed and a contact lens inserted every two months to try to help him see.

“My husband Duncan and I were upset that the cataract had been missed.

“He was examined twice and missed on both times.”

Carly, who works as an optical assistant, and Duncan, 38, will not know how much sight Harry will have in his left eye now until he is at least three.

“He will be old enough then to tell us how much he can see,” Carly said.

“We hope he has managed to retain some sight in his left eye. We are also putting a patch on his right eye for four hours daily to make his left focus on seeing.”

All new babies in the UK are routinely screened for cataracts and again at six to eight weeks. However, a study in the British Medical Journal revealed that less than half the babies born with cataracts were picked up at those examinations.

Emeritus Professor Gordon Dutton, of Glasgow University, revealed that doctors do not always have ideal conditions for examining babies’ eyes.

“The best way of spotting cataracts is to examine a baby in a darkened room,” he said. “The lighting in a hospital ward or GP surgery can reduce the chances of diagnosing them.

“Examining babies is not easy and I teach GPS to lull infants into complying by singing a lullaby. Twinkle Twinkle’s repetitive melody works best. Babies can only concentrate on one thing at a time and they focus on the singing.”

Carly added: “Anything that makes for better diagnosis has to be good.”

Picture: Andrew Cawley. Carly Gardner and her baby boy Harry, whose cataract in his left eye was missed in two examinations. He now has to wear a contact lens.