Bradford graduate’s son given gift of sight

Dean Dunning with Carys and Heath

Bradford College ophthalmic dispensing graduate, Carys Cliffe, returned to the college recently with her five-month-old son Heath after he was prescribed a contact lens to treat congenital cataract.

Heath was just five weeks old when he had an eye operation for congenital cataract in his right eye, followed by months of treatment. After a contact lens was made especially for him, Carys was keen to show students and lecturers just how well he was progressing.

Carys said: “It’s very rare for babies to have a congenital cataract and even more rare to have it in one eye as opposed to bilaterally.”

Following his operation, Heath was too young to have an intra-ocular lens implant, making it necessary to provide a contact lens. Carys said: “This is the fourth type of size lens tried as it’s impossible to measure the size and shape needed for Heath.”

Usually, for a high-prescription lens such as Heath’s, a hard lens would be used but Dean Dunning, Carys’ former tutor and programme leader for FdSc Ophthalmic Dispensing at Bradford College, explained these are unsuitable for such young children: “A rigid lens can damage the soft eye socket. The higher the prescription, the thicker more curved the lens is. Heath has a +36.00 dioptre prescription, which is virtually unheard of for a soft lens.”

Dean added that Heath provided an excellent opportunity for students to find out how contact lenses are used to help very young children, explaining that contact lenses for babies were so unusual that Heath’s lens could be the only one they saw in their career.

Dean added: “It’s very unusual for a child to have this treatment but he is blessed to have a family of optical experts to look after him.”

Carys graduated with her foundation degree in November and runs a domiciliary sight testing business, See You At Home, with her optometrist brother Huw Farrow.

Heath has to wear the lens for six weeks at a time as well as having eye drops several times a day. Already clinicians have said the lens makes a difference. Carys said: “We patch the good eye to ensure the bad eye develops.”

Heath has been cared for at Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary by Devina Gogi, consultant in ophthalmology. Carys added: “His care has been amazing and Ms Gogi has been brilliant.”