Baby in Florida Born Without Eyes

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In a world where most people take the miracle of life, birth, sight and sound for granted, there happen incidences once in a while that make us look at these blessings from a different viewpoint. And the birth of Brielle Garrison is just one of them.

Born in Wellington, Florida to Taylor Garrison, 15, Brielle seems like all other newborns her age, except that she does not have any eyes. The baby girl suffers from a rare condition called Anophthalmia which according to Dr. Lee Friedman, of the Microsurgical Institute is a condition where you have no ocular tissue at all, nothing in the eyes.

Dr. Friedman, who is experiencing such kind of a case first the time in 22 years, adds that the cause of this condition is unknown. "It's a sporadic mutation. It is not hereditary.”

For the Garrison family it is time to not just cope with the tragic news but also consult innumerable doctors, surgeons, specialist who can make sure that the condition does not deform baby Brielle’s face.

"For a baby to be born with no eyes is just so cruel, and because my daughter's 15, it was just mind boggling that such a thing could happen," said Lori Garrison, Brielle's grandmother.

It is known that Anophthalmia can occur in around 1 in 100,000 births and research into its causes is still going on. The family is hoping that more and more people become aware about it so that more research and feasible solutions are discovered.

Meanwhile, new mom Taylor seems prepared to shower all her motherly love to her special child. "I'm going to treat her like she was born just as any other baby, because that's how she is, that's how I see her." She says.

A fund for Brielle has been set up at a Wachovia Bank in Wellington.

- Atula, Staff Writer

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