The Glasses are Half Full

By Rachel H and Guest Blogger Suellen T.

TriadSmartyPants wants to help give advice on health issues with children as much as possible. Thanks to all the Smarty Moms we have met, we have been able to share some wonderful advice on what to do when your child may not seem to be following the growth or behavior pattern that you would expect. No matter how small the issue, it is always difficult to deal with obstacles when it involves your precious pride and joy. My friend, Suellen, was so kind in taking the time to write up the story of her daughter, Macy, and how they came to the conclusion that she needed glasses. I came up with the cheesy title because even though it was a difficult experience to go through, they remained optimistic and the results have been great. We hope her story is able to help some of you! - Rachel H.

We first wondered about Macy’s eyesight when she was around 6 months old. I remember coming in the front door and she was sitting in the floor facing me. She just stared at me without making any signs of excitement. Then as soon as I called to her she nearly hopped off the floor. I was so relieved! I remember saying to my husband, “I don’t think she recognized me.” There were a few more subtle hints like this, but we didn’t get too excited about it because it was so hard to be sure that there was a problem. She was developing perfectly; she was sitting up and reaching for things, even signing with her hands. Surely she had to be able to see to do these things? At around 8 months, we noticed that at times her left eye would seem a little droopy or “lazy”. Still it was hard to be sure that there was a problem. At her 9 month check up, I mentioned to our pediatrician that I thought Macy may have a lazy eye. I described the problem and he referred me to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Dr. William O. Young in Greensboro.

At 10 months, Macy began wearing glasses! He diagnosed her vision problem as Esotropia. He said that all babies were farsighted (something to do with eye growth?) but she was about 10 times more farsighted than normal! OMG! I could not believe it! I felt so guilty that we had not acted sooner. He said that most things were a complete blur to her and that her eyes were constantly working to try to focus which was why she had the lazy eye. Not lazy, it was just exhausted!

When we first tried on the frames it was a true wrestling match. I held her arms by her sides while the sales lady positioned the frames on her face and wrapped the curved parts around her tiny ears. I had never seen glasses so small! This will be interesting, I thought! Two weeks later we went back to the office to try on her new glasses. “Here we go” I said to the lady. I held her arms again and the lady gently placed the glasses on Macy’s face while she struggled to break free. As soon as the glasses were in place, Macy froze! There she was 10 months old sitting in amazement. Her big brown eyes scanned the whole room slowly, then a huge smile spread across her face! I could read her face and tell everything she wanted to say,“ Wow, I can see!” There was never a minute of struggle after that moment. In fact, for a while it was difficult to convince her to take them off. She even wanted to sleep in them!

I am so glad that we discovered this as early as we did. I cannot imagine how she must have felt when she looked through those first lenses that helped her to see the world so clearly. The first year was the most expensive. We went through about 6 pairs of glasses. It’s hard being careful when you’re only one, but each pair was worth it! We only average about 2 pair a year now.

My best advice - Trust your instincts and buy the insurance for the frames! If you have a little one in glasses you will need it!

What an amazing story! Do you have a similar experience you can share?

Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM