Seeing trees and the stars: Tom and Tommy's story

Photo: The Christianson family smiles as they pose at a lakeside. The include Carver, Tom. Tommy and Nancy. Tom Christianson knows what it's like not to see clearly. At the age of 5, he was diagnosed with cataracts, a condition not common in young children.

"I remember looking at the trees and they only appeared as green blotches," said Tom.

Growing up with cataracts

Considered legally blind, young Tom would even wear his glasses at night so he could see his dreams. He eventually had surgery on both eyes at the same time to remove the cataracts.

"This was a very tough experience for me as a young child, because I was basically blind for a couple days as my eyes healed," said Tom.

Following cataract removal surgery, he wore glasses and then switched to contacts.

"After my surgeries the green blotches became trees with leaves. This vision change – being able to see everything so clearly – probably sparked my interest in a future career in landscaping," said Tom, who owns Tommy Carver's Garden of Flowers in downtown Minneapolis

Nearly 20/20 vision with lens implants

At age 37, Tom received lens implants at Phillips Eye Institute, and today he has nearly 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts.

He did develop glaucoma due to the juvenile cataracts but otherwise, his vision and health are good.

Starting a family

At age 45, Tom embarked upon fatherhood, when his wife Nancy gave birth to their first son Tommy.

Tommy was a happy child, but you'd be hard pressed to know that because he scowled all the time.

"We took him in to get his eyes checked when he was 4 years old, "said Nancy Christianson, "and it turned out he looked grumpy because he was squinting to see."

Tommy has cataracts

During an eye exam, congenital cataracts were found in both of Tommy's eyes. (The Christianson's other son, Carver, showed no signs of cataracts or other eye problems during vision screenings.)

Although Tommy would one day need surgery to remove the cataracts, his doctor felt that it could wait until Tommy knew the time was right.

Tommy was doing well in school and keeping up with his homework, even though he had to sit close to the board to see what his teacher was writing. He also had to put his face close to an object to read what was on it. Still, Tommy didn't seem bothered as doctors continued to monitor the progression of his cataracts.

Time for cataract surgery

One night, in January 2007, when Tom was tucking 9-year-old Tommy into bed, Tommy said, "Dad, It's time."

Thus, arrangements were made at Phillips Eye Institute for surgery to remove Tommy's cataracts. He would have one eye done at a time on different dates.

"I instantly felt anxious about the surgery and sad because I didn't know what it was going to be like for him. I wanted it to be a good experience," said Tom.

Before Tommy's surgery, Tom and Nancy visited the third grade class to talk to Tommy's classmates about his upcoming surgery. As the Christiansons explained to the children what was going to happen to Tommy, "they were very interested in what we were telling them and asked a lot of questions," said Nancy.

March 1, 2007 was the day of Tommy's first surgery. "Tommy had a really great attitude about his surgery," said Tom. "He was so comfortable with it that he led the way into the surgery room and jumped up on the table."

Back to school with racquetball glasses

The surgery on Tommy's first eye went very well.

Tom bought a pair of clear racquetball glasses that Tommy would wear to school to protect his eyes. The glasses needed to be easy to remove because Tommy would need several doses of eye drops a day.

"When Tommy returned to school, he was on 'rock star status' with his new glasses," said Tom.

The racquetball glasses worked so well to protect his eyes that Phillips Eye Institute has recommended them to others who undergo similar procedures.

'Look, I can see the stars!'

On March 22, 2007, Tommy had his second surgery, which also went smoothly.

Just one evening after Tommy's final surgery, Tommy came running into the house full of excitement and yelled, "Dad, you've got to come see this!"

They went outside where Tommy pointed up to the sky and said, "Look, I can see the stars!"

Tears filled Tom's eyes as he saw the excitement in his son's eyes. He was overwhelmed with happiness for his son who could now see so well and so quickly after the second surgery.

The whole family came out and stood in the front yard to admire the stars.

'A whole new world' for Tommy

Tommy continues to thrive since his two cataract surgeries.

"His eyes are bigger and brighter than ever with excitement and he is very happy," said Nancy.

"He points out everything he can see in the distance," said Tom "It is a whole new world for him. Phillips Eye Institute changed our lives."

Vision screening for all school-age kids

As a result of Tom and Tommy's experiences, the Christiansons are working to promote vision screening for all school-age kids.

"Every kid needs to see the stars," said Tom. "These screenings will help catch any vision problems early and really help kids."

Phillips Eye Institute has launched the Early Youth Eyecare (EYE) Community Initiative to help children like Tommy. The EYE Initiative provides vision screening and follow-up eye care services for students in Kindergarten, first and fifth grades. The goal of EYE is to eliminate vision problems as a major roadblock in education.