'Know the Glow': Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and his family say it could save child's eyesight

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WANTS A FAMILY TO KNOW THE GLOW. REPORTER: SHE LOVES TO DRAW EVEN AT HER DAD’S WORKPLACE, THE OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. THE BUDDING ARTIST NEEDS THOSE BIG BROWN EYES BUT SHE COULD HAVE LOST VISION IN HER RIGHT EYE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR HER MOM. >> I NOTICED A GLOW. REPORTER: SHE NOTICED SOMETHING ODD. >> EVEN IN THE FAMILY PHOTOS, YOU WOULD SEE A GLOW ON ONE EYE. REPORTER: THEY TOOK GRACE TO A PEDIATRIC OPTIMALITY IS WHERE SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE CONDITION. >> IT REALLY SHOWS UP IN PHOTOGRAPHS. REPORTER: THIS OPHTHALMOLOGIST IS NOT HER DOCTOR BUT SAYS THE DISEASE IS ABNORMAL VESSELS IN THE RETINA THAT CAN LEAK FLUID INTO THE EYE. >> THE SOONER YOU GET TO THE DOCTOR, THE EASIER THE TREATMENTS CAN BE. REPORTER: GRACE WAS SUCCESSFULLY TREATED. SHE HAD TO WEAR CORRECT GLASSES FOR A TIME BUT THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD IS DOING FINE. >> I CAN SEE PERFECTLY FINE. MY EYESIGHT IS PRETTY GOOD. >> I AM SO GRATEFUL SHE CAN SEE THROUGH BOTH EYES. >> THERE WAS JUST AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF RELIEF. REPORTER: THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR RECENTLY TWEETED ABOUT THE ORDEAL SO THAT OTHERS CAN KNOW ABOUT THE GLOW. IT CAN ALSO BE A SIGN OF OTHER SILENT DISEASES INCLUDING CANCER. >> IF ONE PARENT CAN BE MADE AWARE OF THIS, IT WILL HAVE BEEN WORTH IT. REPORTER: GRACE IS HAPPY TO SHARE HER STORY. A YOUNG GIRL ABLE TO SEE A LOT OF THING

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A glow that appears in a child's eye in a flash photograph can be a sign of an eye disease.Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the second lady of Pennsylvania, noticed that glow in photos of her daughter a couple years ago and took her to the eye doctor, where she was diagnosed with a rare condition. The family now wants others to Know the Glow.Grace Fetterman loves to draw, even at her dad's workplace -- the office of the lieutenant governor.The young artist needs those eyes, but she could have lost vision in her right eye had it not been for her mom.Gisele Fetterman noticed something odd in photos of her daughter."Even the family photo, you would see all red eyes and one little glow on one eye. It was eerie. It was scary. I knew something was going on there," she said.The Fettermans took Grace to a pediatric ophthalmologist. She was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Coats disease."It really shows up in photographs," said ophthalmologist Dr. Carl May.May is not Grace's doctor, but he said that Coats disease involves abnormal vessels in the retina that can leak fluid into the eye."The sooner you get to the doctor, the easier the treatments are, the smaller the retinoblastoma could be," May said. "The earlier the leaks are in Coats disease, are better prognosis."Grace was successfully treated. She had to wear corrective glasses for a time, but the 8-year-old is doing fine."I can see perfectly fine. My eyesight is actually pretty good," she said."I'm so grateful that she can see from both her eyes," Gisele Fetterman said."I just remember the overwhelming sense of relief," John Fetterman said.The lieutenant governor recently tweeted about the ordeal so others will Know the Glow. It can also be a sign of other so-called silent diseases, including eye cancer."My hope is that if one parent is made aware of it, it will have been worth it," he said.Grace is also happy to share her story."I'm glad that I'm doing this, to be honest," she said.Grace has to get an eye check every six months.RELATED: Inside look at life of Gisele Fetterman, Pennsylvania's second ladyFacts from KnowtheGlow.org:- 80 percent of the time, a parent or family member is the first to identify "the glow" in a child's eye.- 80 percent of all childhood blindness is preventable or curable.- 1 in 80 children may show the glow before age 9.