CATCHING a ball is a major achievement for seven-year-old Thomas Hughes.

The Blaina boy has a mystery condition which means he is unable to talk, has only just learned to walk and has sight problems.

But now Thomas can see properly for the first time in his life thanks to a special pair of glasses imported from the USA.

His mother, Alison, of High Street, Blaina, said: "His eyes are fine, but they don't work together with his brain."

This means he has poor depth perception, sees things at a slope and can't focus on close objects as well, which makes him scared of standing or walking.

The glasses, called yoked prism lenses, are a collection of different magnification and coloured lenses.

They train Thomas' eyes to work with his brain, and will help him develop proper vision so that he won't need them in the future.

Wearing them made an instant difference to Thomas. Mrs Hughes said: "He's more confident and not afraid to walk anymore, thanks to the glasses and the physiotherapy he's been getting.

"Now he notices birds in the sky and horses in the field. His eyes are more alive where they were vacant before."

Mrs Hughes also thinks the glasses will help Thomas' speech and learning by getting him interested in the world around him.

She said: "He's looking at pictures in books for the first time where before he wasn't interested."

The glasses cost £800 and were specially made for Thomas in Philadelphia.

The money to buy them came from Thomas' local community, who have raised more than £7,500 to help fund his treatment.

Just last month their fundraising efforts paid for Thomas to have a special course of intensive physiotherapy in a private clinic in Oxford.

Mrs Hughes said: "He's improving all the time. I'm confident that in the end he'll be walking just like any other child.

"It's all been made possible by the community."