A three-month-old infant, Izabella Myers, is undergoing a critical medical procedure to prevent her face from drooping due to being born with a single eye. In an effort to keep her left orbit from closing as her skull develops, Izabella began wearing a conformer.
Now at nine months, Izabella is being fitted with progressively larger clear spheres every two weeks to prepare for a prosthetic eye. These expanders are designed to stretch her socket and absorb fluid from the surrounding skin, creating enough space for the artificial eye.
The necessity for a glass eye lies in ensuring symmetrical facial development for Izabella, as currently, the left side of her face droops by about half an inch. However, her mother, 27-year-old Alexis Miller from Pennsylvania, has mixed feelings about the procedure.
Miller expressed, “Medically, Izabella needs a prosthetic eye, but if it wasn’t necessary, I would prefer to wait until she could decide for herself. The day she gets the eye will be mixed with emotions. I adore her as she is, and she’ll look different with two eyes. I don’t feel she needs to change to fit societal norms.”
Diagnosed with microphthalmia, a rare condition where one or both eyeballs are abnormally small, Izabella’s condition was first detected during a 20-week prenatal scan. Subsequent examinations indicated that her left eye began to develop but then ceased to grow.
The absence of vision on her left side means Izabella must turn her body to see clearly and is currently working with a therapist to strengthen her right eye’s vision.
“The news initially devastated me. No parent wishes for their child to face such challenges. But when Izabella was born, I found her absolutely beautiful,” Miller shared.
Further research revealed that this condition was inherited from her father, Eric Myers, 35, whose great grandmother also had microphthalmia. Izabella can blink and cry with her left socket, which remains open when she sleeps.
Currently, Izabella draws attention and questions from onlookers. “As she grows, I worry about how she will be perceived and treated, especially at school. Even with a prosthetic, it will be noticeable that she’s different. But I’ll always remind her to ignore negative comments and believe in her abilities,” Miller stated.
Miller also recounted that her older daughter, Kyliegh, aged eight, was initially frightened by Izabella’s appearance but has since grown to understand and love her sister. Kyliegh now confidently explains to others about Izabella’s unique birth and reassures that she is no different from anyone else.