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'Owl-Eyed Girl' to undergo treatment
Sunny Hu
Shanghai_Star
page07 2006-8-10
Called "Owl-Eyed Girl," 23- year-old Xiaona from Northeast China's Jilin Province has very special eyes: Grey rings encircle her pupils with a transparent part in the centre.
Doctors say she might be suffering from a rare eye disease called central crystalline corneal dystrophy.
The disease is due to the accumulation of lipids or cholesterol in the corneal stroma, which is reported to affect one out of every 10,000 Chinese. But eyes like Xiaona's are very rare among patients.
Family members said Xiaona had blue rings around the pupil at the age of seven. Her rare eyes have scared others and made herlife more difficult. Her major problem now is finding a boyfriend.
After her story was reported in the media, the New Vision Eye Clinic of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai decided to provide free treatment for her. Last week, rofessor Lian Jingcai of the clinic flew to Northeast China to give Xiaona a full check-up.
Doctors said her vision has deteriorated rapidly in the past two years and she might need corneal transplants in the future. |
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