Charlie Gard: Mum shares photo of son with eyes open

Connie Yates posted the image along with the message "a picture speaks a thousand words"

The mother of Charlie Gard has shared a photo of her son with his eyes open as she waits to find out if his life-support will be switched off.

Connie Yates posted the image on Facebook with the message "a picture speaks a thousand words".

Specialists in London say the 10-month old should be moved to palliative care but his parents want to take him to the US to undergo a trial treatment.

The European Court of Human Rights is currently considering the case.

Judges in Strasbourg, France, ruled that Charlie should receive treatment until Tuesday while they look at paperwork in the case.

Ms Yates and her partner Chris Gard launched the final legal challenge at the European court after their appeal to the Supreme Court failed.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard have raised more than £1.3m for treatment in the US

Charlie has been in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital since October last year.

He has mitochondrial depletion syndrome, a rare disorder that affects the genetic building blocks that give energy to cells.

Doctors say he cannot hear, move, cry or swallow and that his lungs only go up and down because he is on a machine that does it for him. They say the US trial is experimental and will not improve his quality of life.

Ms Yates posted the new photo of Charlie with the words: "A picture speaks a thousand words

"As quoted from the judgement . . . 'He is not consistently able to open his eyes enough to be able to see. Indeed, this leads to the difficulty that his brain is failing to learn to see'."