Why do you look like that?

Photo by Harry Quan on Unsplash

Yes, I look a little different. It doesn’t bother me, so it shouldn’t bother you.

I was born with a genetic eye condition called Coloboma. Why? No one really knows. It’s just one of those things that happened. It affects my vision, so I am blind in my right eye. My right eye is also smaller, a slightly different colour and my iris is a bit of a weird shape. It has never really affected me hugely, it’s something that I live with but it doesn’t really make much impact on my day to day life. The main thing that it affects is my field of vision, but I can still do things like driving (even though I haven’t driven since I passed my test as I absolutely hate it).

One thing I feel has had the biggest impact on me when I was at school were activities, such as sports. In particular, sports that include catching something as judging distances can be a little tricky. Give it a go, close one eye and try to catch something: it’s much more difficult than you think! However, I haven’t got a sporty bone in my body, so I’m probably just really bad at sports. I guess it’s difficult to actually pin point what parts of my life are affected because this is the way it’s always been; I haven’t needed to adapt the same way someone who loses their sight later on in life has to.

If I’m completely honest, I don’t really know much about my condition. So, I’ve had to do a fair bit of research for this!

So, what exactly is Coloboma?

‘Coloboma means that part of one or more structures inside an unborn baby’s eye does not fully develop during pregnancy’. 1 in about 10,000 babies have this condition. It can affect one eye, unilateral, or bilateral, both eyes. Coloboma makes up 10% of childhood blindness. Coloboma doesn’t always affect vision so some people will remain undiagnosed.

What Is a Coloboma? Can It Be Corrected? | NVISION Eye Centers (nvisioncenters.com)

There are different types of Coloboma; some forms of Coloboma affect vision while others don’t. For example, Iris Coloboma results in the iris having a slightly different shape, often resulting in the iris looking like a keyhole which probably best describes the way my right eye looks.

Here’s a more detailed description: ‘During the second month of development birth, a seam called the optic fissure (also known as the choroidal fissure or embryonic fissure) closes to form the structures of the eye. When the optic fissure does not close completely, the result is a Coloboma. Because the optic fissure forms at the bottom of the eyeball during development, colobomas occur in the lower half of the eye’.

There have been some genetic causes that have been identified through medical research. Currently, there are 40 genetic regions that are linked to Coloboma and many genes have also been found. The variety of associated genes highlights that Coloboma is not solely caused by a single gene. There are also possible environmental causes which include: drugs and alcohol use in pregnancy, vitamin A and E deficiency, hypothermia and radiation exposure.

Due to the variety of types of Coloboma, there is a range of treatments to help those with this condition. There is no cure for Coloboma, however certain treatments, such as the use of patches in childhood to maximise the vision in the most affected eye, can be used.

Peter Rabbit — Wikipedia

I was trying to think back to when I first realised I was a little different. And to be honest, I had to do a lot of searching into the back of my mind. I remember going to the eye hospital when I was younger, but mostly all I can remember is the peter rabbit painting on the wall I used to look at. I particularly remember getting a contact lens for cosmetic purposes. I never liked wearing it because it was uncomfortable and I never felt the need to change my appearance. I’m comfortable with the way my eye looks so I am not willing to sacrifice my comfort to make other people slightly more comfortable.

I am very grateful for the way my parents have brought me up. They brought me up with the idea that I can be whatever I want to be and I shouldn’t let anything get in the way of this. The only thing I can’t be is a pilot, as you need 20/20 vision, but I wouldn’t want to fly a plane anyway. Of course, I’ve had questions about the way I look when I was at school but luckily no one ever bothered me about it. I’ve only had to deal with the odd question and it’s always been because people are slightly curious. I really don’t mind when people ask questions. I think it’s always better to ask than make assumptions. If my friends want to ask me questions, please do (even though I don’t really have many answers myself).

Yes, I look a little different but that shouldn’t matter.