ASK little Caleb Wolstenholme's parents what kind of a child their son is and they'll tell you he's just like any other two-year-old.

According to mum Claire he is "strong willed, confident and into everything," but an incurable and extremely rare eye condition makes Caleb an extra special little boy.

Caleb, of Avondale Avenue, Blackburn, suffers from Microphthalmia, where his eyes stopped forming in the womb, and Coloboma, which is a structural eye defect occurring in early pregnancy and resulting in a gap being left in the eye structure.

Microphthalmia, which affects one in 10,000 people, cannot be treated, but doctors will continue to monitor Caleb as he gets older. The causes of it are unknown, but research carried out in 1993 by the Department of Public Health and Policy found that, in some cases, the condition could be linked to the pesticide Benomyl.

Claire said: "Caleb does really well. He is very confident in situations that he is used to, like at home or at nursery which he attends four times a week.

"He is a very happy child and likes to do things that other boys his age do."

Doctors told Claire and husband Paul that Caleb would be totally blind, but the little boy has light definition and has recently begun to see things held up close to him.

Claire added: "He loves lights and his bedroom is decorated with disco and mirror balls and flashing lights.

"There is no treatment for his condition and hopefully his sight will improve as he gets older and we hope to send him to a mainstream school.

"There will be other options for him as time goes on as his eyes will continue to develop until he is eight."

The family has strong links with the Blackburn Blind Society and MACS -- Micro and Anophthalmia Children's Society -- which campaigns to raise awareness of the condition.

The charity is run by volunteer parents and relies totally on donations.

Now Caleb has inspired a group of Thai kick boxers to raise funds for MACS and plans are under way for an event in Leyland later in the year.

Claire, who also has a younger son, Saul, said: "We have raised money for MACS and the Blackburn Blind Society in the past, so we were delighted that the group chose to donate cash from the event to the charity."

The study by the Department of Public Health and Policy also looked into the geographical variations in Microphthalmia and Anophthalmia -- where babies are born without eyes -- between 1988 and 1993.

Of the 444 registered cases, there were 36 in the North West, 20 of which were serious, compared with 33 in Yorkshire, where there were 22 serious cases.

What is it?

Micropthamlia: The foetus begins to develop eyes, but for some unknown reason stops. This results in the child having tiny, malformed eyes and can affect either or both eyes. It affects one in 10,000 newborns.

Anophthalmia: This occurs in the early stages of pregnancy when the foetus fails to develop eyes resulting in the child being born with empty eye sockets. This can affect one or both eyes. Like microphthalmia, there is no cure, but patients can be fitted with prosthetic eyes for cosmetic reasons as well as helping to promote growth. It affects one in 100,000 newborns.

Coloboma: This is a structural eye defect where there has been a failure of the closure of the fissure (ocular cleft) and also occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, leaving a gap in the eye structure.