Mito and the Eyes

We never think about our eyes, at least I don't.  I get up in the morning, pop on my glasses, and am good to go.  I've never stopped to think about the energy they require - why would I?  My eyes aren't 20/20, but they serve me well.

When you first see Bricen, you can help but notice his baby blues.



But behind those incredible eyes, mito has wreaked havoc. His eyes have been without energy resulting in optic nerve atrophy.  He is visually impaired to the point where he is considered legally blind.

In addition to vision loss, the atrophy has caused Bricen's eyes to be highly sensitive to light.  On bad days, he wears sunglasses inside.  At school, his classroom has special light covers to enable him to be sunglass free.  

Any of you that have followed Bricen's blog have noticed his sunglasses.  Yes, he is fashion forward, but they are needed to allow him to go outside without having to keep his eyes squeezed shut.  

Bricen's hearing isn't affected; he identifies many objects (and people) based on sound.  However, hearing loss isn't uncommon in children with mito.

Mitochondria are a cell's power plants, creating 90% of the energy your body needs.  Three systems have to be affected for a mitochondrial dysfunction/disease to be diagnosed.