Jackson..

Hi Everyone!

We had an appointment at Children's on Monday afternoon and received some challenging news. Jackson has been diagnosed with a strain of ocular albinism. Ocular albinism in an inherited condition in which the eyes lack melanin pigment. He currently has 20/80 vision in his good left eye and doesn't have measurable vision in his right eye.

Currently, there is no treatment for ocular albinism. Ocular albinism results in very poor vision and can lead to blindness. Because of the lack of pigment, his eyes can't process sharp light images. Due to this, it's very difficult to correct the vision with glasses. At this point of time, the doctor says he will probably never be able to drive.

Jackson has new glasses and are praying that they do help correct his vision so that he will be able to function more normally. One of the things that the doctor told us is that kids are resilient and learn to adapt and can lead good lives with ocular albinism.

Jackson will be having surgery on March 23rd. They will be aligning his eye so that it will seem to look normal. The doctor says it will be more of a cosmetic surgery but there is a slight chance that it could help his binocular vision.

We did get some good news today. We found out that he is in the best hands at Childrens. His doctor is very well known and is the Chief of the Opthlamology department and is very well respected in his field. We are confident that he will get the best care possible which is all we can hope for.

We are grateful for Heavenly Father's love and knowing that he has a plan for Jackson, and that He doesn't give us more than we can handle.

We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for Jackson as we prepare for his upcoming surgery and as Jackson invokes on this journey.

On a happier note, Jackson is growing like a weed, has learned all his ABCs, can count to 13 and knows the difference between his right and left.....very smart kid

Love,

Craig, Stephanie, and Jackson