Baby's Priceless Reaction After Getting His First Glasses: Video

RIVERHEAD, NY — When a baby got glasses last week in Riverhead and could suddenly see clearly for the first time, his reaction was one that melted hearts far and wide.

Mallory Ibarra of East Hampton said she learned her son, Roman, 1, needed glasses when she brought him for his one-year check-up and a vision screening came back positive for astigmatism.

Astigmatism, according to the American Academy of Opthalmology, is an imperfection in the curve of the eye's curvature or lens, leading to blurred or distorted vision.

Next, Ibarra said, she took her son to a pediatric ophthalmologist and then, for glasses at Cohen's Fashion Optical on Old Country Road in Riverhead.

When owner Charlotte Smilovich helped find the perfect glasses for Roman, his delighted reaction captivated all around him — and later, captured hearts on social media.

"It was the best reaction ever," Ibarra said. "It was so sweet."

She said she also felt badly that her baby had spent an entire year with blurred vision, unable to see clearly. When fitted with glasses, she said, "He was shocked. It was though he were saying, 'What's happening?'"

Ibarra, who has two other sons, said Roman is loving his new specs and adjusting well.

She said the hopes to raise awareness about the importance of early eye exams for infants.

Smilovich, who has had a total of four patients under the age of 2 in recent weeks, added that research indicates a baby should have their first eye exam as early as six months.

Watching Roman's reaction, Smilovich said she was overwhelmed with emotion. "That's why I do what I do," she said. "I cry inside when I see a baby like that and I know they've never really been able to see well before. Watching Roman, I got chills. It's the best feeling in the world."

Babies, she said, are unable to speak, "so it's so great to be able to help them."

From the moment Roman had the glasses on, he was awestruck, Smilovich said. And when a man next to him complimented the child on his glasses, Smilovich said Roman turned right to him. "Vision and hearing go together. And the way he looked at that man, he could suddenly connect — he looked right at him."

Roman also rewarded Smilovich with a hug, holding out his arms happily to her to be held and putting his head on her shoulder, she said.

Of the experience, Smilovich said it was deeply rewarding. "Now he can see his mom's face clearly," she said.

Ibarra agreed that knowing her son could see her, and the world, was "the sweetest feeling."

Smilovich finds joy in giving back in the community: In February, she organized a day of beauty and pampering for a North Fork woman battling breast cancer — a Valentine's Day gift of love.