TERRIFYING DISCOVERY

I found out my baby had eye cancer after taking a photo of her with the flash on – I knew something wasn’t right

A MOTHER discovered that her daughter had eye cancer after noticing something unexpected about a photo she took of the tiny tot.

Jamie-Lee Schmitzer, 31, was taking cute snaps of her girl with the flash on in 2017 when she saw the mysterious dark patch in her baby's right eye.

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Jame-Lee was worried as soon as she spotted the unexpected darkness in her daughter's eyeCredit: ourdarlingwarrior/Instagram
Operation was a terrifying ordeal for mum Jamie-Lee who was desperate to keep her daughter safe and wellCredit: ourdarlingwarrior/Instagram

The mum-of-three from New South Wales, Australia, initially dismissed the strange colouration as she could see that one eye was darker than the other and there was a white glow in the iris.

But when her daughter's eye continued to darken over the course of a few months and the mum noticed her daughter kept rubbing the eye, she decided to take action.

Jamie-Lee was told by a local doctor that there was nothing to worry about but convinced something was up, she went to an eye specialist for a second opinion.

Blood tests and an MRI revealed that nine-month-old Ivy-Mae had a tumour growing in her eye.

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In order to save the little girl's life, the eye had to be removed.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Jamie-Lee said: "Hearing the news about the tumour was absolutely devastating and in the moment my partner and I were in shock.

"Because it was so close to the optic nerve, the surgeons were worried it would spread. I questioned whether removing her eye was the right thing to do but trusted the doctors."

Ivy Mae's surgery was on 22nd November 2017 but the day before her eye completely changed colour from a blue to a darker colour as the tumour continued to take hold.

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After the eye was removed, doctors conducted a biopsy and found that the tumour was cancerous.

Doctors fitted a prosthetic eye for Ivy-Mae a few months after the surgery, once the swelling had gone down.

Ivy-Mae is still able to move her eyelids, blink and cry as normal, despite losing her natural eye.

The little girl is now four years old and enjoying a "happy life", riding bikes and playing with dolls just like any child.

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Jamie-Lee said: "I'm all about positivity and trying to show her that different is beautiful, because she knows she doesn't look like other kids and I want her to feel like that's okay.

"I've caught her looking at herself and the eye in the mirror, but she turns to be and goes: 'Mum, different is beautiful, isn't it?'"

Ivy Mae enjoys a happy life just like any other child, playing with dolls and riding her bikeCredit: ourdarlingwarrior/Instagram
The gorgeous young girl knows that her eye looks different, but she also knows that 'different is beautiful'Credit: ourdarlingwarrior/Instagram
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