Staten Island’s newest social media star, baby Liam: 75 million views and counting

STATEN ISLAND, NY – A Staten Island baby is the star of social media’s latest viral phenomenon, video showing little Liam Frederick’s surprise as he sees clearly for the first time It went viral on TikTokBy Tuesday, it had reached 75 million views and even appeared on “The Today Show.”

The video was shot by Liam’s mother, Steph Mazzone-Meyer. Williams Eye Studies — An optical store located in Westerleigh and serving Staten Island since 1995.

“It was a little intriguing because he can’t talk at all,” said John Williams, who gave Liam brand new blue glasses in the video. “When he put the glasses on his face looked pretty neutral for a moment, so you get a little nervous, then he smiled and the moment you saw the smile your heart melted.”

John, 27, the youngest child of store owner Chris Williams, has been working there since he was 12, when he started sweeping out the front.

She shared the store’s motto: “When you see well, we look good,” and “It was obvious that the baby saw well because everything looked beautiful to her.”

“This is the first time I’ve actually seen the baby smile,” she said. “I especially love putting glasses on kids because they can’t filter their excitement. It makes you feel good to know that they clearly responded positively.”

Valarie Williams, the store owner’s middle child, shared that she has worked there since 2005, when she was in fifth grade, labeling frames and cleaning the store. Today, he works as an ophthalmologist at the store and performs eye exams for customers.

“It was really exciting. I feel like everyone has a common experience with the video. This is truly heartwarming,” Valarie said.

After Liam’s video went viral, his mother Steph Mazzone-Meyer took to Instagram to express her gratitude.

She wrote: “Thank you for the love and kindness you showed our little Liam. We always knew he was a star and now everyone knows too! With love, Meyer Family.”