The look of love: UK’s youngest patient sees parents for the first time after surgery saves her eyesight

  • Due to rare congenital condition Eva was born blind
  • ‘We were devastated ‘: Parents feared the worst
  • Two three-hour operations restore full vision

By
Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:20 AM on 27th December 2011

It was the Christmas gift her parents feared she would never receive.

Eva Joyce, who was born blind, is able to see her mum and dad for the first time after becoming the youngest patient in the UK to have a corneal transplant.

Four-month-old Eva suffered from Peter’s anomaly, a rare congenital condition which makes the cornea cloudy.

Christmas gift: Four-month-old Eva Joyce, pictured with her mother Jessica, can now see for the first time

Christmas gift: Four-month-old Eva Joyce, pictured with her mother Jessica, can now see for the first time

Her parents, Harriet and  Matthew, were worried that their daughter would never be able to see.

Mrs Joyce, 33, said: ‘When Eva was born and eventually opened her eyes, we realised that her corneas were cloudy.

‘We didn’t appreciate the severity of
it, and it wasn’t until we were referred to a hospital in Sheffield the
following week and Eva’s eyes were tested that we realised that she had
no vision at all. She was blind.

Eva, pictured with her parents and sister Jessica, is the youngest patient in the UK to have a corneal transplant

Eva, pictured with her parents and sister Jessica, is the youngest patient in the UK to have a corneal transplant

‘We were devastated. For the next 24 hours of her life, we thought she would never be able to see.

‘It is such a rare occurrence  that we were told it was unlikely anything could be done.’

Eva, from Winterton, near Scunthorpe,
was referred to  Birmingham Children’s Hospital some 115 miles away,
where specialists suggested she could have a transplant.

During two three-hour operations surgeons removed the cloudy corneas and replaced them with clear lenses

During two three-hour operations surgeons removed the cloudy corneas and replaced them with clear lenses

At just two-and-a-half weeks old, the
little girl had her right cornea removed and replaced with a healthy
donor cornea in a three-hour operation.

When she was four weeks old, the same procedure was carried out on her left eye.

Six weeks of hourly eye drops
followed, and Eva is still taking anti-rejection drugs as her age meant
there was an increased risk of her body failing to accept the donor
corneas.

But it didn’t stop her spending Christmas at home with her parents and three-year-old sister Jessica.

Mr Joyce, 34, said: ‘From feeling
really low at the beginning, it went to feeling quite giddy. When
someone tells you your daughter will be able to see, it is quite
special.

‘As soon as we turned the Christmas lights on this year, her eyes lit up.’

The family is still making the
230-mile round trip to the hospital every fortnight for check-ups, and
Eva will continue to be monitored there until she is 16.  

Consultant ophthalmologist Manoj
Parulekar said: ‘We look forward to seeing her grow up and do all the
things her friends and big sister can do.’

Mrs Joyce, who is an intensive care
nurse at Scunthorpe General Hospital, added: ‘We feel incredibly lucky
that someone has made the decision to donate organs to help people like
Eva in what must be extremely sad circumstances.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

This is wonderful news. My mother has had cornea transplants and thanks to a donor can now see. Organ donation is the best gift you will never know you give. And it’s certainly the best gift you can ever receive. I am listed to be an organ donor. Quote: “Why take your organs to Heaven? Heaven knows, they’re needed here.”

This is why I am registered for organ donation after my death. To enable others to carry on their lives as normal as possible.

Isn’t the NHS wonderful. Not only has this little girl had a top world class operation but the parents and family have not had the trauma of how to pay. No private health care company would insure a child born with a such an abnormality. I am so pleased for them

A heart warming story.

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