An artist mom was heartbroken to learn that her newborn son's striking eyes were actually a sign of a rare congenital condition. Sonny Stubbs and her husband, Ben, are the proud parents of their son Emerson, 2, and his younger sister Scout, who is just 5 months old. While Ben works as an award-winning tattoo artist, Stubbs has her hands full as a stay-at-home mom to their two young children.
"We spend a lot of time outside blowing bubbles and walking around the neighborhood and also watching Ms. Rachel," she told Newsweek. Every parent's journey is different and comes with its own unique set of challenges.
Looking back on the day Emerson was born on Sept. 6, 2024, Stubbs recalls it being "kind of chaotic." "I had to have an emergency C-section," she said. "I got to hold Emerson for the first time about six hours later, and he was just so beautiful and so tiny. No one, not even his pediatrician, noticed anything unusual about Emerson's eyes on the day he was born." As time passed, however, Stubbs couldn't help but notice something distinctive about Emerson's eyes.
Yet the fact that it had been completely missed by everyone at the hospital made her doubt herself. "I honestly thought I was overreacting, and he was so little I just thought they would change as he got older," she said. It wasn't until Emerson was 2 months old, during an appointment with his pediatrician, that Stubbs decided to raise her concerns.
The pediatrician examined Emerson's eyes and immediately referred him to a specialist. Emerson was eventually diagnosed with bilateral chorioretinal coloboma. Coloboma is a rare congenital eye condition that develops when part of the eye does not form properly during early pregnancy.
A comprehensive clinician review published in Nature in 2021 explains that the condition occurs when the embryonic fissure, a structure involved in eye development, fails to close completely, leaving a gap or missing section of tissue within the eye. Coloboma can affect several parts of the eye, including the iris, retina, choroid and optic nerve. When the iris is involved, it can create a distinctive keyhole-shaped pupil, often making a baby's eyes appear especially striking or unusual at first glance.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
