A YOUNGSTER born with a rare sight condition is back on the road to recovery - after doctors prescribed him contact lenses.

When Robert Halshaw smiled at his mum for the first time it was an extra-special occasion because she then knew he could finally see.

Robert was born on April 5 with rare congenital cataracts, which affects just one in every 10,000 babies, and he had both lenses removed when he was just four-and-a-half-weeks old.

From five weeks old, his parents Philip and Joan, of Pine Street, Haslingden, were given special soft contact lenses to insert into his eyes and so far he is making good progress.

Now the couple are keen to encourage any parents who are concerned their baby may have cataracts to ask doctors to perform a simple test which should be carried out in the routine baby checks.

Joan said: "We were fortunate that we knew there was a 50:50 chance Robert might have cataracts because of Philip's eyesight and when he was born at Burnley General Hospital they checked and confirmed he had cataracts.

"They also performed tests to ensure the cataracts were caused by a congenital defect and not any other problem.

"We knew they had to carry out any operation before Robert was 12 weeks old because it must be done before the brain learns how to focus the eye."

Philip was also born with cataracts and when he was about 18 months old he had an operation on the lenses in his eyes, but he was too old to have his sight saved.

He said: "There was no way of improving my eyesight from that age and so I am officially registered blind but I do have partial vision."

Philip, 36, has always held down full-time jobs and works in the housing department of Twin Valley Homes in Blackburn.

Every morning Joan, 41, carefully inserts the lenses into Robert's eyes and stimulates his vision throughout the day using black and white objects and bright toys.

He is in the care of paediatric ophthalmologist Christopher Lloyd and has monthly check-ups.

When he went for his first operation on May 3, Joan was in the operating theatre and was keen for him not to be anxious or upset, so when they put the mask on to give him anaesthetic the doctors left his dummy in place.

She cried the full hour until he was brought out of theatre, but then after the second operation, on May 8, surgeons had to leave both his eyes patched for 24 hours and Robert became distressed at not being able to see.

He then had to undergo a further operation after a build-up of fluid caused pressure on his eye.

Now he is nearly four months old and specialists are pleased with his progress as he responds to the tests, following cards and looking left, right, up and down.

The breakthrough for Joan came when he smiled at her for the first time and she had her first real proof that the lenses were working and helping him to see.

She said: "I will be happier when he is able to tell me what he is seeing and I will know that he is going to have clear vision, but the doctors have said he should be able to drive, which is something I never thought he would be able to do."

The couple are grateful to the doctors at Burnley General, Manchester Eye Hospital and St Mary's in Manchester, where Robert was on the high-dependency unit for a day after his second operation.

But they said they struggled to get information and ended up checking American internet sites and asking other parents in the Manchester hospital because they are not aware of support groups.

The test to diagnose cataracts is simple and involves shining a light into the back of the eye to check for a red reflection..

They said: "It is so easy to test for, but so essential."