A Didsbury mom makes and sells toques to raise awareness of eye health after her son was diagnosed with a condition that makes him legally blind.
The problem was spotted at an early age by his mother who noticed strange behavior from her son.
“When Benji was two years old, we noticed his eyes were moving back and forth at a friend’s wedding and it didn’t stop over the next few days,” said Jenni Derksen. “A pediatric ophthalmologist looked in his eyes and noticed a lack of pigment in his eyes and diagnosed albinism.”
Benji now uses a scaled-down version of the familiar white and red cane used by the blind. His mother said he started to make progress with his development after getting help with his eyes.
“When Benji was just about one he got his first pair of glasses because he is also far sighted on top of albinism and so he started crawling two days after he got his glasses, it was night and day for him,”
Though Benji can see a little, he has to get within centimetres of objects in order to see them, which poses dangers for a small child. His mother says the help they received from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind made a great difference for the family, and she encourages other parents to get their kids’ eyes checked. Optometrists say that’s the best advice, as early interventions can help a child deal with vision issues.
“It can start as early as 6 month of age, that is when we recommend the first eye exam, then every year thereafter,” said Dr. Danielle Gordon, Optometrist.
The cost of eye exams is covered by Alberta Health Care for those under the age of 19 and those over 65.
Benji’s mom is giving back to the CNIB by crocheting and selling toques to benefit the organization. You can find the toques at her online store, called Jack and Julie Co.
