Day to day, most of us don’t give much thought to our vision. We see, and life goes on.
But for some it doesn’t work that way, and you can’t explain that to an infant who suffers from one of the various diseases that might make the world blurry and distorted. He only senses what he sees, which may be mush.
So it was a special day indeed for Leopold Reppond, age four months, and suffering from oculocutaneous albinism, when his doctors placed a very specially made pair of glasses on him.
He seems puzzled, smiles ever so fleetingly, then looks down at his right hand. He pauses, studies it, and sees his fingers clearly for the first time.
Then Leopold’s mother starts cooing and vocalizing in the way that only mothers can, with her face close to his. It takes a few moments, but then he lifts his head and focuses on her face and smiles broadly as if he has been born anew.
His father David posted a video of the event on Facebook on April 3, and it was then picked up by HuffPost.
I remember sitting in my high chair, before I could speak (must have been age 1 or just past), and playing with the blue and pink beads on a metal rod that ran across the wood, sliding them back and forth. The image is so clear in my mind, and thanks to his doctors, now Leopold will have a chance to capture similar memories.
Watch the video again: when he finally realizes he can clearly see the smile on his mother’s face, in that moment his smile elevates all of humanity and lifts the world.
Via Huffington Post and Facebook