Louise McMorris was born with albinism. This made seeing her mother Megan next to impossible but the two shared a bond nonetheless, one that was clearly evident when the eight-month-old saw her mom for the first time.
Albinism brings a range of eyesight problems that make it difficult for those who have the condition to see. The problems vary, but some could be severe enough to require surgery. For the most part though, wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses can take care of these eyesight problems.
In the case of Louise, she was fitted with eyeglasses to help her see. Megan captured the moment her little girl first wore her eyeglasses, recording on video Louise's smile as she realized she was looking at her mother.
Louise was diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism. This means that her condition affects not just her eyes but her skin and hair as well. When the condition affects just the eyes, leaving hair and skin coloring normal, it is called ocular albinism.
Because their eyesight will be heavily affected, many albinos are considered legally blind. Albinism mainly impacts eyesight because it affects optic nerves and the retina. The retina, which is inside the eye's lining, acts similar to a screen onto which images can be projected. In an albino, the retina is not able to produce an image that is sharp enough to clearly distinguished so the optic nerves are not able to send the signals the brain needs to identify what's being looked at.
Because she couldn't see clearly, Louise was only able to bond with Megan through her voice, her touch and her smell. But now thanks to her new eyeglasses, she was finally able to put a face to the voice she has associated with her mother.
"Once she could actually see me, it's like 'Oh hi that's you'," said Megan of the moment Louise first focused on her.
"She's able to reach out for things because she can see them now. If I walk into a room, I can tell she can see something," the mother added.
Louise is now also finally able to play with Mason, her older brother, because she's able to see more clearly what she's doing.
Megan continues to sing to Louise as that was the way they primarily bonded before. The only difference now is that her baby can now look at her as she does, making the moment truly special.
