‘OutDaughtered’: Adam Busby Said There Are ‘Still a Lot of Unknowns’ for Hazel’s Eye Condition

We’ve been keeping up with the Busby family for years thanks to TLC’s OutDaughtered. Adam and Danielle Busby attained fame for having the first set of all-female quintuplets in the U.S. And now, the family’s back with another season — and we can’t wait to see what their six daughters are up to now.

Hazel Busby is a fan favorite, as she’s the only redhead of the bunch and has had glasses since infancy. She was born with nystagmus, an eye condition that’s required surgery in the past. And Adam recently told the press that the family’s far from finished dealing with Hazel’s eyes, as there are “still a lot of unknowns” there. Here’s what’s going on.

Hazel Busby had her first eye surgery when she was just a year old

Hazel’s glasses may be cute, but they serve a seriously important function for the child. Nystagmus causes the eyes to move rapidly back and forth. The condition is treatable, but it can’t be cured, so Adam and Danielle are working hard to find the best, most manageable solution for Hazel going forward.

Not only does Hazel wear glasses, but she’s also had surgery on her eyes in the past. Back in 2016 when the tiny quint was just a year old, she had to go in for corrective surgery to help the placement of her eyes. “This surgery fix is not even about her vision,” Danielle explained, “it’s more so to correct the placement of where her eye goes to focus better so she doesn’t have to turn her neck, which is a huge deal.”

While the surgery was a success, it still scared Adam and Danielle to put their child through the procedure. “Everything that you do and tell yourself to prepare for this surgery can never really prepare you enough for seeing your baby in her hospital gown and then giving her away,” Adam noted on the show.

Adam and Danielle Busby talk about the next steps for Hazel in the ‘OutDaughtered’ trailer

It looks like fans will hear more about how Hazel’s eyes are doing in the upcoming season of OutDaughtered. The sneak peek released by TLC on May 20, 2020, shows Adam talking to Uncle Dale about Hazel’s eyes.

“She’s turning her head more, it’s more consistent” Adam notes, which is possibly due to Hazel’s worsening eye condition. “We’ve always known that there’s probably gonna be another surgery, but now, like, she’s a lot more aware about what’s going on.”

In the past, Danielle told reporters that it’s likely Hazel will need to have another eye surgery, too. So she and Adam remain vigilant when it comes to taking Hazel to her eye appointments. “It’s inevitable that one day she’ll have another one,” Danielle told Us Weekly in June 2019, “and so we visit her eye doctors every couple months.”

Adam said there are ‘a lot of unknowns’ with the eye condition

Adam and Danielle recently spoke to Us Weekly about the upcoming season of OutDaughtered. They talked about how their kids are doing while staying homeschooled during the coronavirus (COVID-19) social distancing measures. And, of course, Hazel’s eye condition came up in conversation.

“We kind of cover Hazel’s journey with her eyes a little bit this season,” Adam notes. “There’s still a lot of unknowns with what our next steps are gonna be, but I feel like we’re starting to narrow in on possible next steps with her. But there’s still a lot we just don’t know quite yet.”

Adam also told the interviewer that Hazel had to get her glasses repaired, as they were snapped in half when all the kids were playing outside. But all of the quints, as well as their older daughter, seem happy to be on camera once again. We’re excited to hear more about the situation once OutDaughtered returns!

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