TheraSpecs, The Doctors Gift Photophobia Relief to 3-Year Old Brain Tumor Survivor
Every day we hear stories from customers that remind us why we started TheraSpecs. We help people in their darker moments recover many of the joys of their lives, particularly before light sensitivity restricted them. It is especially gratifying to know the impact of our glasses on the most desperate of patients—from the person who has debilitating chronic migraine with no relief in decades to the child who developed painful photophobia at a young age.
Recently, we had the opportunity to help out a young boy named McLean better manage his sensitivity to light, and it all came together with the assistance of the television show "The Doctors." TheraSpecs have been featured on the show before, but this time around it was extra special for our team because of who we were helping.
McLean Sinclair had severe photophobia that led him to wear dark sunglasses all the time.
At just three years old, a seemingly-innocuous accident between siblings led to a horrific diagnosis: McLean had a brain tumor. While the surgery and ensuing recovery was a challenging process for young McLean and his parents, everything went better than anyone could have hoped. Within a few months, the mass had been completely removed, and he was beginning to return to normal physical function, walking and talking with his family.
However, one notable side effect remained: intense photophobia and sensitivity to light. According to experts, the symptom was likely a byproduct of the tumor’s pressure on the optic nerve—a cause that has already been implicated in the onset of photophobia.
A spokesperson for "The Doctors" described the experience at the time: "McLean is extremely sensitive to light; he was diagnosed as photophobic. After the tumor removal, his pediatric photophobia has gotten worse, so he’s wearing regular aviator glasses all of the time.
As stylish as he looked in those specs, the family knew they needed a better solution. In sharing their story with "The Doctors," we were able to provide complimentary access to our entire catalog of photophobia glasses for McLean, including custom and prescription TheraSpecs. With our indoor lenses, McLean could comfortably reduce his intolerance to bright and artificial light indoors without the risks of wearing dark sunglasses inside.
"McLean is clearly a resilient kid, and we want to make sure McLean is getting the best protection while he’s healing," Dr. Travis Stork told McLean's parents during the show. "[These are] lab-tested specs designed to block more light than typical frames and meet customer-specific circumstances like your son’s photophobia…and they look pretty cool as well."
Most importantly, McLean continues to improve each day, and the family even celebrated the recent one-year anniversary of the start of this journey. And we are so happy for McLean and his family; we appreciate playing a small role in making his life and recovery just a little bit easier.
McLean family Facebook post on the one-year anniversary of McLean's tumor diagnosis.
If your child has severe and chronic light sensitivity, we encourage you to check out our available products. We not only have Petite Wrap TheraSpecs, which are designed for kids and teenagers, but we also have custom frame options as well. And of course, our team is happy to help identify the best solution for you, so do not hesitate to reach out to us at contact@theraspecs.com with any questions you may have.
Video and photos courtesy of The Doctors and the McLean Sinclair family.
TheraSpecs Glasses for Light Management
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