Did a Facebook Photo Save the Day? [Video]

As a society, we take and post a gazillion photos online. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, you name it, we're uploading to it. We've all seen the stories of how lives have been dramatically changed because of an uploaded photo. Now, to be fair, the dramatic changes (usually) have been because the photo(s) was inappropriate, embarrassing, depicted illegal or immoral behavior, etc.

That's not the case in the story of 3 year old Rylee Taylor. Her mom, Tara, may well have saved her daughter's vision by the simple act of sharing a photo on Facebook.

Yahoo Shine has some details:

Two observant friends saw the picture and noticed a strange glow in little Rylee’s left eye, prompting the eye exam that revealed she had Coats disease, a rare retinal disorder. “They said, ‘Hey, I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s probably the lighting, but your daughter’s eye is glowing and you might want to have it checked out because it’s a sign there could be an issue with her eye,’” Tara told WREG Memphis. After a trip to the doctor, she discovered her friends' instincts were right.

I didn't know until reading the piece that something going on in the retina will alter the look of red reflex or "red-eye." Luckily for the Taylor family, Dr. Jorge Calzada did know that.

While Rylee's right eye did have the typical red eye, the left eye had a larger, more yellowish glow to it, because “she had a scar in the back part of her eye,” says Calzado, the opthalmologist specializing in retinal surgery who diagnosed Rylee at the Charles Retina Institute.

So now we're all wondering about Coats disease. How serious is it? Pretty serious:

Coats disease, named for the Scottish ophthalmologist George Coats, who first identified it, involves the abnormal development of the blood vessels behind the retina, which is the layer of tissue lining the eye’s inner surface. It can lead to retinal swelling and detachment and cause vision loss, typically in one eye only, if not caught early enough. In those lucky cases of early detection, such as Rylee’s, treatments including laser therapy or cryotherapy can save or restore a person’s eyesight.

Some of the warning signs include an eye drifting inward or a noticeable loss of vision, but Rylee didn't fit that profile, according to her mom, Tara. Rylee also didn't sit too close to the TV, and she's also involved with gymnastics, so walking a balance beam hadn't been a problem for her, either.

It has been a difficult year for the Taylor family as a whole:

Rylee’s father, Jason, was involved in a life-threatening fall from a balcony in August. The accident caused many broken bones and led to a series of surgeries, prompting a friend to start a GoFundMe effort to help the family with its medical expenses. “This is a fantastic family that has been through a lot the past 12 months,” noted a friend who commented on the WREG story. “We’re praying for Rylee’s vision.”

One more note about red-eye in photos from Dr. Calzado:

An eye with a glow like Rylee’s should never be ignored, Calzada stresses. “If you see that odd reflection or lack of a red reflex, get a dilated-eye exam,” he says. It could be a warning sign not only of Coats, but also of problems including a cataract, retinal detachment or even retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor of the retina. “Thank God the child did not have that,” he says.

Here's a look at the family's story from ABC News: