A STARTFORTH woman with a rare eye condition which makes her extremely sensitive to light has won first place in a village Christmas contest.
Mother and daughter Lynn Adamson and Joanne Underwood’s magical display at their home in Stainmore Close was awarded the top prize in the annual festive lights contest, organised by the parish council.
Their display, which features about 8,000 lights, illuminated candy canes and a seven-foot inflatable Santa Claus, impressed the judge, Teesdale Mercury editor Trevor Brookes.
Mrs Adamson said: “We don’t do it for the winning – it’s for the children really and while I do the inside of the house, it’s really down to Joanne as she loves doing it.”
Ms Underwood, 42, was born with a rare genetic eye condition, aniridia, which makes her extremely sensitive to light. She said: “I love this time of year because of my eyes. In the spring and summer, it’s just too bright for me, even with sunglasses it hurts my eyes too much. But in the darker days of autumn and winter, I can be outside more as it’s not as bright.”
Her eyes are completely black because the coloured part of her eye, the irises, are missing.This means she is unable to control the amount of light going into her eye because the iris is what helps the pupils to get bigger and smaller. She added: “It is rare, and some people who have it only have it in one eye, but I’ve got it in two.
“A few years ago, the doctors told me I’m one in a million, but I don’t know the figures of how many people have got it, but I’ve never met anyone else with it.”
Ms Underwood has learned to live with her condition, using specially darkened sunglasses during spring and summer months on top of her prescription glasses.
She said: “It’s the only way I can stand the brightness. I used to get picked on when I was at school because of my eyes. Other kids would say I was the devil. People call me a vampire as I only really come out when it’s dark.”
She is already planning next year’s display when she hopes to be able to include a few penguins.
Andrew and Debbie Robson’s Castle Croft home was awarded second place in the contest with Mike Dack’s fundraising display in Stainmore Close in third place.
Mr Dack, who is also planning his display for next year when he will be raising funds for The Clique, said: “I’m really quite happy. It was never really about winning. I just love doing the lights.”
