Madison Artale’s world was darkening before it even began. Diagnosed with a congenital cataract at less than two months old, the baby – born in Bellevue, Nebraska, on October 1 – was at risk of becoming ill. loss of eyesight forever.
His parents, who were stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, turned to Children’s Nebraska for help.
To save the child’s eyesight, Dr. Paul Rychwalski, medical director of the hospital’s ophthalmology department, embarked on a mission with his team.
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Brandee Artale first noticed the baby’s cataracts when she was breastfeed himshe told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)
“I looked down and thought there was something weird in his eyes,” she said.
Madison Artale, pictured here in both images, was diagnosed with congenital cataracts when she was just a month and a half old. (Andrew and Brandee Artale)
At first the parents thought it was just a strange reflection of light, but their GP confirmed that they should see an ophthalmologist.
From there, they were called Nebraska for kids.
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Congenital cataracts are quite rare in babies, according to Rychwalski.
“We consider cataract to be the elderly the knowledge — you know, grandpa needs cataract surgery,” he told Fox News Digital. “But it happens in kids.”
Madison Artale, pictured here, was at risk of losing her sight forever if she didn’t have surgery immediately. (Andrew and Brandee Artale)
About a third of cases are hereditary and another third arise from other medical or genetic problems, the doctor said.
The last third comes from unknown causes, which was the case for Madison Arta.
In eyes with cataracts, the lens directly behind the pupil is cloudy. Some cases are more serious than others, Rychwalski said.
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“In Madison’s case, it was a dense, white, cloudy opacity right in the center of the visual axis,” he said.
“So there was no way to stimulate the retina and bring sight back to her brain. She was at risk of losing vision permanently if we didn’t clear that visual access in a timely manner.”
It was important to remove the cloudy lens as soon as possible so the brain could immediately have a focused image, Rychwalski said.
“I just kept praying that everything would go well and that she would get through this.”
Brandee Artale described the perspective of surgical operation for…
