Charles Fights Coats'

Hello, we are the Kretzlers. My name is Kelly and my husband's name is Gary. We have two children, Violet and Charles. Violet is 4 years old and Charles is almost 2 years old. We all live in Sarver Pennsylvania. It is close to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Charles was diagnosed with Coats disease in September 2021 at 22 months old. At his 1 year pediatric evaluation he had a vision screen that showed his right eye was abnormal. He was referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist who diagnosed it as a lazy eye. Charles had a second appointment six months later in which we were told he was no longer showing signs of a lazy eye. After about another four months we noticed something was not normal with his right eye. We wanted a second opinion, so we took him to another pediatric ophthalmologist who told us it was not a lazy eye and he needed an ultrasound of his eye immediately. We were very concerned and he was seen the next day for an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed it was most likely Coats disease but the doctors wanted to rule out Retinoblastoma. We were sent to Cleveland Clinic where Charles was placed under anesthesia for a thorough eye exam and were told it was not Retinoblastoma. It was in fact Coats disease. Coats disease is a rare eye disease characterized by abnormal development of the blood vessels in the retina. Charles is stage 4 which means he has full retinal detachment and has extensive leaking blood vessels. Charles has very limited vision in his right eye. We were told he will not be able to regain vision in his right eye. There is no cure for Coats disease. The only hope we have now is that Charles can retain his right eye. He was placed under anesthesia a second time for laser treatment of his right eye. The laser treatment is to help cauterize the blood vessels to stop the leaking of the blood vessels. There will be many more exams under anesthesia including laser treatment in hope of saving his eye. We are trying to raise funds to help pay medical expenses, travel and parking for appointments, and to replace money lost from missing work. We appreciate all the help we can get.                                                                                                      

                                                                                                    

Thank You,

The Kretzler Family