The McCanns had problems conceiving. Madeleine was eventually born
on May 12th,2003, after IVF treatment. Gerry said: It
was incredibly special because we had been waiting for a
long time.
After many years of hope, the birth of their beautiful Madeleine
made their lives complete.
However Gerry has commented that Madeleine was close to the perfect
child..’Only close why not perfect?
A baby you have longed for, has 10 perfect toes and 10 perfect
fingers a healthy pair of lungs and you do not find such
a gift perfect?
Madeleine was born with a defect in her right eye known as coloboma.
A coloboma is caused when a baby’s eye does not develop
properly during pregnancy. The eyes develop between the
fourth and anything up to the fifteenth week of
pregnancy.This condition occurs in about 1 in 10.000
births.
Madeleine only had one eye affected ,this is called (unilateral)her
right eye. The coloboma would have been noticed at
birth. Maybe this is what Gerry meant when he said
‘close’ to perfect.
Medical staff after having noticed the possible keyhole-like shape
of the pupil would have called on an Opthalmologist (eye
doctor) to carry out a full examination.
The opthalmologist would use an instrument called an opthalmoscope
to examine the inside of a childs eye. The Opthalmoscope
is held close to the eye but will not touch it. A baby
will be given a general anaesthetic as to not cause
discomfort.
This examination will allow the Doctor to find out how much of the
eye has been affected by the coloboma. It will be hard
to tell how much a childs sight has been affected until
they are older. Small children are unable to communicate
in words how good their vision is.
The hospital will also carry out other examinations to check on
your childs health. Mostly the Coloboma only affects the
iris and children will often have fairly good vision.
However, bright lights may be a problem because the iris
limits the amount of light entering the eye and the
retina may not work properly.Too much light entering the
eye can also cause image to be distorted.
If the coloboma goes further back into the eye then the child could
have more visual problems especially if the retina is
involved.
Sometimes, children with coloboma may have other health problems.
It would be very unfair for me to suggest this, as I
have no knowledge of Madeleines medical history
However,. it does show though the need for regular
checks when a child has this condition.
There is no treatment for coloboma. However, a child with coloboma
will receive specialist care at hospital during the
early years to monitor the effect of the coloboma and
their eye health. The frequency of these checks will
depend on the childs needs.
Children who have coloboma can be more at risk of Glaucoma
(increased eye pressure) and retinal detachment. There
are treatments for both of these conditions.
If a childs eye health is stable and there are no further
complications then a child will have six monthly eye
tests up to the age of seven years. Tests are with an
Optician or Orthoptist.
Sometimes cosmetic contact lenses may be considered at a later
stage. These can help make the pupil look round rather
than keyhole shape.
The McCanns two Doctors, and yet, have never used the medical term
for Madeleines eye defect coloboma, it is also absent
from Madeleines passport.
Here we have a child with an eye problem that needs six monthly
checks. Checks that the McCanns have not once mentioned
to the ‘abductor’ an eye condition that at a later stage
could cause problems to Madeleines health…The McCanns
insist Madeleine is still alive so why has this not been
mentioned?
Gerry McCanns comment ‘We knew the abductor could do something to
her eye, but it was a good marketing ploy’ sends to this
day shivers down my spine.
Coloboma that made Madeleine the almost perfect child . Coloboma
that gave birth to the massive campaign. Coloboma that
the police warned could sign Madeleines death warrant
was not even worth mentioning on Madeleines passport by
her parents.
Two doctors who claim to have been Madeleines GP mention nothing of
her health and it would appear from their statements
they have never even met the child. Their written
comments read more like a character reference for their
friends the McCanns and what good parents they are.
Did the coloboma exist or was it just a sham. A good marketing
ploy. |