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?
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.
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