Sutton’s Silver Glow: A Mother’s Intuition and a Daughter’s Strength
When Ashley Walley first looked into her newborn daughter Sutton’s eyes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Sutton was just five weeks old when Ashley noticed a silver tint in one of her daughter’s pupils. It wasn’t the dark black reflection she expected. Instead, it was slightly luminous, almost metallic. A glow.
Ashley, a seasoned preschool special educator, trusted her instincts and reached out immediately to Sutton’s pediatric provider. But the nurse practitioner who was new to the clinic and unfamiliar with signs like this suggested waiting until Sutton’s two-month checkup. That didn’t sit right with Ashley. She knew enough to know that when it comes to vision, especially in infants, time matters.
Instead, she called the eye clinic herself. The moment they offered an appointment after hours, Ashley knew they were taking her concern seriously. “That’s when I knew something was up,” she recalled. The ophthalmologist confirmed her fears: Sutton likely had a congenital cataract. “I thought, ‘Isn’t that what older people get?’ I didn’t even know a baby could have one.”
Congenital cataracts, especially unilateral ones, can block essential visual development in infants. If not addressed quickly, they can result in permanent blindness in the affected eye. Ashley’s instinct had given Sutton a chance at sight.
Ashley and her husband packed up and flew from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska, where pediatric ophthalmology care is centralized. Within a day of their arrival, a surgical team confirmed the diagnosis and prepared Sutton for surgery at just seven weeks old.
Ashley noted that the care team at Providence Medical Center was outstanding, particularly Dr. Richard Kevin Winkle, the pediatric ophthalmologist who became a beloved fixture in Sutton’s care. Known for his Hawaiian shirts and sense of humor, he brought both expertise and warmth to their long journey. When he retired, Sutton even made him cookies and still refers to him affectionately as “Dr. Twinkle.”
The road from there wasn’t easy. Sutton wore a contact lens with a powerful +29 prescription before receiving an intraocular lens (IOL) implant at age two. She’s now had three eye surgeries in total and continues to patch four hours daily, a challenging task to this day. Ashley has tried reward systems, decorated patches, and firm routines, often joking that her Instagram hashtag should be #PatchMonster. “It’s a battle,” Ashley admits, “but it’s one worth fighting.”
The patching isn’t just cosmetic, it is a critical tool to help Sutton’s brain learn to use her weaker eye. Ashley and her team have fought every day to keep that window open. Sutton, now seven, still struggles with depth perception and has intermittent nystagmus, which worsens when her stronger eye is patched. But thanks to early intervention, creative therapy (including gymnastics and even diving to retrieve objects in a pool), and a supportive community, Sutton is thriving.
“She’ll never have binocular vision,” Ashley explains, “but she’s learned to compensate. Gymnastics, for example, has made a huge difference in her balance and body awareness.” Watching her daughter flourish, on the beam, at school, and with friends, Ashley is reminded that success isn’t always about perfect sight. It’s about confidence, resilience, and feeling seen.
Sutton’s journey has also reshaped Ashley’s life in unexpected ways. After recognizing the gaps in vision education and services in her region, Ashley returned to school to become a certified Teacher for the Visually Impaired and an Orientation & Mobility Specialist. “I just didn’t want Sutton, or any child, to have to wait until they were already behind to get help.”
Today, she supports students across Alaska, drawing from her experience as both a parent and an educator. Her daughter continues to inspire her work. “She’s the reason I do what I do,” Ashley says.
Through Instagram and TikTok, Ashley has shared Sutton’s journey with candor, humor, and practical advice. She regularly hears from other parents navigating a new diagnosis and engages often with parents of children with congenital cataracts. Her guidance is simple but powerful: ask why. “Ask your doctor why they’re recommending what they are. Ask what other families are doing. And trust your intuition.”
Sutton’s story is a shining reminder of how maternal instinct, swift action, and love can change the course of a child’s life.
Know the Glow is honored to share Sutton’s journey and highlight congenital cataracts, one of the many vision conditions that can cause leukocoria. We are grateful to Ashley for her advocacy and to Sutton, an exceptional young girl with a bright and resilient spirit, for reminding us just how important early detection can be.