(*) By Lic. Yolanda Penerini (visual stimuli), whom we greatly appreciate their help and contribution to improve this page.

Babies with Aniridia (absence of the iris - the colored round portion of the eye, blue, brown and green, which regulates the amount of light that enters the retina) need, as everyone, the affection and protection of their parents.

Their dependence upon others is higher because the intense photophobia (abnormal aversion of light) prevents them from controlling outdoor spaces. Such spaces are aggressive environments for them because of the luminance they present.

The baby will probably maintain his head upside-down or will turn it towards his mother ´s breast to be protected.

In order to provide them support it is essential to understand this condition.

Think of what we feel when a photo with an intense flash is taken to us, or when after we wake up we look through the window to the sunlight, or when we look at an intense flashlight or while driving a car at night we are dazzled by the headlights of other cars (sense produced by a high value of luminance in the visual field, greater than the luminance value at which our eyes are adapted to, causing discomfort, nuisance, lack of visual performance or visibility reduction (IESNA,1993)).

Of course, such feelings are casual and temporary for us, whilst for a baby, child, adolescent or adult that has Aniridia, this condition of decreased vision resulting primarily from the light dispersed in the eye will be part of his life and, hence, will be present during his whole life. So, it is essential to take all such measures that may be necessary to accept the effects that the absence of the iris will cause on his life.

Providing early and visual stimulation to the baby is important as it will provide maintenance of mother-infant relationship, understanding on behalf of his family, sight progress examination and better adaptation to photophobia and low vision.

In the case of a child with constant movement eyes (Nystagmus) and very low vision with poor images, absence of spontaneous and indispensable visual contact that prevent them from communicating with his mother and close environment will occur, which therefore will seriously affect the affective and cognitive development.

As a consequence of the interruption of the visual relation through which the affective stimulus is given to the child, which is vital for the optic organ development, the mother may feel distressed and frustrated and, in fact, this is perfectly understandable.

On one side, images are necessary for a child optical system in order to go through the critic development period without being impaired by the visual deprivation syndrome that makes his organic deficiency worse. As Zeki says, at the cell level, “there is a critic period during which it is essential to provide the child the proper stimulus so that he can see”.

We should also remember the definition of Low Vision provided by the WHO: “an individual that even after receiving a conventional treatment and/or refraction has in its best eye a visual acuity ranging 3/10 to light vision and/or visual field lower or equal to 20 grades, but, in fact, uses or is potentially able to use his vision to plan or perform everyday activities”.

A baby will have abnormal vision when upon observing his behavior or performing an ophthalmologic examination on him, he shows inability to perceive the environment (family faces, mother’s breast, baby bottle, etc.) will be showed.

Likewise, a baby with Aniridia will remain longer with his eyes closed. He also has Nystagmus, a signal of his low vision.