Erin Robinson

When white spots first appeared inside six-year-old Erin Robinson’s eyes, her family didn’t know what they were looking at—they only knew something wasn’t right.

Queen Bailey, Erin’s aunt who had adopted her just a year earlier, quickly took her to the eye doctor. “The eye doctor asked whether Erin had ever experienced problems with her vision before, and she hadn’t,” Queen explains. “But it didn’t take long for things to become more serious.”

Erin’s eyesight kept deteriorating. Though she was still attending school, she struggled to see and started falling behind in class. “She wasn’t passing classes because of it,” Queen adds.

The family was referred to Dr. Patel, a Callahan Eye surgeon who operates at Children’s. The family was armed with little more than concern and questions. At that point, they knew only that something was covering Erin’s eyes and it was getting worse. “By that time, she could only see blurry shapes,” Queen adds. “She was almost blind in both eyes.”

The doctor delivered an unexpected diagnosis: cataracts in both eyes—a surprising diagnosis for a child. “It was really surprising to hear because cataracts are usually associated with aging,” Queen says. “But we were thankful to finally know what was wrong and that there would be a solution to fix it: surgery.”

Erin’s care team developed a plan, which was to operate on one eye first at Children’s of Alabama, giving it time to recover, and then the other eye about a month later. “The surgeries went great, and she did great through them both,” Queen shares.

After each procedure, Erin spent minimal time at Children’s, and little by little, her world came back into focus. “Her vision was restored great,” Queen says.

The journey didn’t end with surgery—her right eye recovered more quickly than her left, so she needed prescription eye drops and a patch to strengthen her vision with regular appointments. But it worked, and the changes reached far beyond her eyesight. “Her grades have come up great because she can see better,” Queen says. “She’s doing so much better.”

Though she still returns annually for checkups, Erin’s focus now is on school and the hobbies she enjoys, such as running track and playing Roblox—simple childhood moments that are easier to enjoy and embrace when you can see the world clearly.

“We’re so grateful to the doctors for restoring her vision,” Queen says. “I thank God for not only giving us the strength to get through this, but also for Dr. Patel. She and her team did a wonderful job guiding us through this journey. They made such an incredible difference for Erin, and we couldn’t have asked for better care.”