Greensboro Newborn Sees With Specialty Contact Lenses
Emi holds the tiny pair of glasses she no longer needs. Today, she is able to see with the help of custom contact lenses.
Emilia Cruz-Garcia was diagnosed with congenital cataracts weeks after she was born, and surgery successfully removed them. But her parents weren’t happy with their doctor’s recommendation to put thick glasses on their baby. Instead, they brought Emi to the Duke Eye Center in Durham. There, pediatric optometrists have the expertise and technology to fit lighter custom contact lenses on small children to help their developing vision. Today, five-year-old Emi’s vision is excellent for her age. “We thank God for putting Duke on our path,” said Emi’s mom, Gladys Garcia.
Congenital Cataracts and Thick Glasses
When Emi Cruz-Garcia was six weeks old, her mom noticed something in her daughter's eyes that she couldn't quite describe. She and her husband, Byron Cruz, took Emi to see a pediatric ophthalmologist, who diagnosed Emi with cataracts - a clouding of the natural lens of the eye.
Successful surgery removed the cataracts, but Emi’s parents were told their child would have to wear thick glasses at all times. “The glasses were so tiny, but looked so big on her face,” recalled Garcia. “They were moving all around.” When Cruz asked whether contact lenses were an option, Emi’s eye doctor explained that fitting them on babies can be challenging, but she referred the family to the Duke Eye Center, North Carolina's only center with the expertise and technology to fit babies with custom contact lenses.
A Better Solution
“Aphakic contact lenses, which are the kind that Emi has, act as a substitute for the eye’s natural refractive lens,” explained Emi’s eye doctor, Duke pediatric optometrist Qiaohui Wei White, OD, MS. “They focus light on the back of the eye and promote visual development. But getting them fitted properly requires a degree of skill, experience, and unique technology, so not many places do this.”
At the Duke Eye Center, Emi's eye care team took precise measurements of her eyes and worked together to fine-tune the visual power, shape, and size of Emi's new lenses. Then a technician taught Garcia and Cruz how to place them in and take them out of their infant's eyes. "We make the lens much thinner and lighter than glasses, and they also do a better job staying in place over baby's eye," said Dr. Wei White. "These optical corrections are essential for visual development, to let the brain build a connection to the eyes."
Dr. Wei White examines Emi’s eyes.
Wonder at First Sight
Garcia remembers the first time Emi wore the contacts. "It was amazing just to see her face of wonder," she says. "And then Emi started to reach all her milestones." Dr Wei White confirms that Emi's vision with the contact lenses is better than average.
Now, Garcia and Cruz bring Emi back to Duke for checkups roughly every six months. "Everyone whose kids have vision problems should bring their kids to Duke. They are great with kids, very professional, and their expertise is outstanding," said Garcia. "They are truly a blessing and an answer to your prayers."
