Adventures in Amblyopia: Part Seven

It's been awhile since I've done any amblyopia updates.  Mostly because it's been pretty quiet 'round these parts as far as my son's eyesight in concerned.  However, I've noticed a few mothers talking on Facebook about their frustrations with patching lately; AND I've had a few new moms (new as in they haven't asked me about it before, not new as in brand new babies :)  ) ask me about our journey with eyeglasses.  And, since we just had our quarterly eye visit, I figured now would be a good time for an update!

For those of you who are new to this series; here's the current scoop (you can start at Part One if you want the entire story!).

My son, Brychan, is now 5.  He just started Kindergarten last month (sniff, sniff). 

 We have been patching for 2 hours a day for almost a year now.  And when I say we patch for 2 hours a day, I mean some days we patch for 30 minutes and others we patch for 4+ hours.  I don't set a timer; I'm not tremendously strict about it.  He knows he has to patch everyday.  He knows if he wants to play on the computer, he has to have a patch on. I kind of let him set the limits as far as time is concerned. I figure it will all balance out in the end (and save a lot of tears and grief in the meantime).  However.  Having said that; if we go for a week where he's only patched for 30 minutes to an hour each day, then I start laying down the law and we play catch up.

It hasn't always been easy, but we are finally at a point where it works for both of us.  

He had a check up just last week, and we were told that Brychan's eyesight is at the absolute best it has ever been.  HALLELUJAH!!!!  Seriously.  I about cried.  To know that all the fighting, worry and tears (on my end and my son's) have not been in vain?  I about cried right there in Dr. Golub's office.  So.  We are going to keep on keepin' on with what we are doing.

And for all you new "patching moms" who are at your wits end trying to get your unwilling child to jump on board?  Don't give up!!  It will be worth it in the end.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Some day (hopefully sooner rather than later), your child will decide that patching is okay.  And then hopefully even quicker than that, you will be able to see the progress your child's eyes are making.  You can do it!!!

P.S.  If you are new to my blog and would like to read any of the other 9 articles I have written about our Adventures in Amblyopia, you can simply search the term "amblyopia" in the search box in the right hand column.  And, welcome, by the way!!  I hope you'll share a story or two and come back soon! :)

Adventures in Amblyopia: Dealing with Jealousy

It's been quite awhile since I've done a post about our adventures with amblyopia, which makes me kind of sad.  So...I'm going to try really hard to get back on that boat.

The topic that's been most on my mind lately is that awful, green-lettered word: Jealousy.

My 3 year old is insanely jealous of his big brother.  Jealous that big bro gets to go to a special eye doctor.  Jealous that big bro gets to wear cool eye patches.  Jealous that big bro (and mom, and dad, and grandparents) gets to wear fun glasses and gets special attention for those said glasses.

So, my 3 year old loves anything related to eye wear.

Which kind of makes me laugh.  If only he knew there was absolutely nothing to be jealous of, AND if I could get my 5 year old to be half as interested in patching as his little brother was, my life would be a breeze!

In order to help him feel more like a part of the "in" crowd we found an old pair of glasses (left behind by one of my brothers, I think) and popped the lenses out so he could have his very own pair of glasses.  He wore these things for several days straight.  And he still keeps tabs on them; he wants to know exactly where they're at; maybe in case he needs them right away?  Who knows.  But it seems to have helped for the moment.

So my question to you is: have you had to deal with jealousy issues at your home with glasses and/or patching?  How did you handle it?

Adventures in Amblyopia Part Six

After a small hiatus, we've started patching again.  It's been a battle for sure!  However, yesterday I realized that I don't think anybody has ever fully explained to Brychan why he has to wear his patch.  I always tell him it's just to make his eye stronger, but realized that it may be time for a more in-depth reason as to why he has to go through such torture everyday.

Question is, how do you explain the reasoning for patching to a four year old?

Here's how it went:

Basically, I told him that he has one pretty strong eye and one that needs some extra help.  The one that needs a little bit of help?  When it gets too tired, it starts turning in and bumping into his nose.  We obviously don't want it to bump his nose; we want it to look straight ahead like the strong eye.  So...we cover up the strong eye with a patch, which makes the other eye stronger, and makes it stay straight.  We have to do it every single day so his eye remembers not to bump into his nose.  And eventually, his eye will be strong enough to look straight ahead and we won't have to do anymore patching.

He had lots of questions and seemed to really soak up what I was telling him, which made me feel bad for not explaining it to him earlier.  Don't get me wrong; it still took some bribery to get the patching done, but we did get it done.  And at least now he knows why he has to wear his patch.

How did you explain patching to your little one?

Adventures in Amblyopia Part Five

Okay. I know I promised some resources for those who may just be starting out on their journey with eyeglasses and young children, but the shopping thing was just way too fun! I have lots of cute suggestions for items to purchase for your little one with glasses; none of which have any labeling such as "nerd" or "geek". That is a major pet peeve of mine. Granted, it never really bothered me until my son had glasses, but now it really gets under my skin.

In December, we got my son's first negative comment regarding his glasses.  I took my boys to a Christmas party with the school kids I work with every day.  One of my girls (who is 9 or 10) whispered to one of her girlfriends that my son "looked like a nerd".  Her girlfriend totally ratted her out to me.  As the teacher, I calmly explained that just because somebody has glasses doesn't make them a nerd.  And, if they want to be a nerd then there's nothing wrong with that either.  I went on to say that he just has glasses because his eyes aren't quite strong enough and need a little extra help.  As the mom, I was livid.  I was so angry at her parent's disregard to teaching acceptance and understanding.  She is old enough to know better and her comments were uncalled for.  Now. I know that as the mom, I was totally over-reacting.  Sometimes, Momma Bear just gets a little too huffy!  Going back to the initial comment; my son didn't even hear it. Even if he did - he has no clue what "nerd" means.

In working with my elementary school kids, I've noticed that if you don't wear glasses, but decide that you do want to wear them - then the "nerd" look becomes cool.  If you do wear glasses but don't have a choice in wearing them, then you automatically get the "nerd" label without the coolness.  I know this isn't the case all the time.  And I know children have to learn what is acceptable and appropriate.  But they learn it from adults.  Which is why clothing with eyeglasses on them that are labeled "geeky" or "nerd" really bother me.

I hunted around Etsy and found some super cute items relating to children in glasses.  None of them are labeled in a negative manner (believe me, there were a lot that were!).  I appreciate these shop owners for being respectful; even if they did so unknowingly.

This cute crayon tote is from {Petite Angels Boutique}.  It's $18.50

 This super cute onesie is from {URBARIAN}.  Not only do they have infant sizes, but toddlers, children and adults too (see the photo below).   They range in price anywhere from $24.00 - $50.00

 {Lovies For My Babies} makes these customized dolls for your little one.  Aren't they precious?  If you send her a photo of your child, she will make the glasses in the same color and shape as your child's. LOVE IT. These cost $36.95.

This onesie from {The Wishing Elephant} is adorable.  It's $18.00 and available in sizes up to 18 months.

The last two items I'm sharing are prints.  Both are adorable and would be fun in any child's room!

This first one is from {Lulu Froot}.  It's 8.5'x11" and is $20.00

 I love this little owl.  This print is 11"x14" and is $25.00.  You can find it at {hippos and nuts}.

I hope you'll take a minute and browse these stores.  They have many cute items available.  And maybe even drop them a note saying that you appreciate them carrying these items.  I know there are lots of stores that do provide adorable items for children featuring glasses.  Know of any right now? I'd love for you to leave a comment with a link to the item(s) you've found!

Adventures in Amblyopia Part Two

Before I get started with today's article, I just wanted to let you know that I am hosting a giveaway over at The Tuckers Take Tennessee! Head on over to check out Meghan's review of my car seat covers, and enter to win one for yourself!

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(If this your first time here, please feel free to start  here!)

Having a child in glasses is an entirely new world.  It's amazing how one little set of eyes changes things.  As a mom, it adds several new dimensions to worrying...general concern and worry over your child's health, worries about the cost involved with quarterly trips to the opthamologist and frequent prescription changes, worries about how others perceive your child (when before glasses, I didn't think twice about it!), and worries about your child's feelings once they realize they have something a bit different about them.

People ask a lot of questions.  We've been lucky thus far, and haven't had many negative questions (or comments) regarding Brychan's glasses or need for them.  Here are a few more questions we get on a regular basis.

Probably the number two question that we get is :

How do you get him to keep his glasses on?

This is on the way home from picking up his very first pair of glasses.

That one is simple! He can see with them on, he knows he can see with them on, and so he really has no desire to take them off.**  There was a small learning curve when we first started, but seriously, by the third day, he was good to go. I can tell when he's ready for a prescription change, because that's when he doesn't want to wear his glasses anymore. For those of you who are blessed with perfect eyes are aren't familiar with this process: when your prescription is wrong, it causes side-effects. The most noticeable being headaches. So obviously, going without the glasses is more comfortable.

**I know I said in last weeks post that their little brains compensate for the lack of perfect eyesight, so I know it sounds contradictory that I now say he can tell that he can't see without his glasses.  I really have no answer for that, other than just assuming that finally using the glasses helps trigger the brain to realize it doesn't have to do all the work anymore.  If anybody reading this has a more scientific answer, please jump in! :)

So the next obvious question is: Doesn't he break them all the time?

I'm not gonna lie. The first 6 months were kind of crazy. First off, he wasn't even 2 yet when he got them. Secondly, he's an extremely active little boy. Add to that a curious little brother who wants to grab at the glasses all the time, and yes. We went through lots of pairs of glasses in the beginning. But, thanks to Walmart and their 100% free replacement program, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Now, though, we just go in on occasion to get the glasses re-adjusted. I can't remember the last time we had a broken pair.

FYI?  Buying frames for little faces is not an easy task.  Nor is it necessarily cheap. Many places don't even carry frames for little ones.  I think we stopped at 3 or 4 different places before finally settling on Walmart.  And then, once you find frames for little faces, it's hard to find frames that will fit well. For us, buying a super cheap pair of frames and utilizing Walmart's replacement program was the best route.  I know many families end up ordering their child's frames online.  Some are lucky enough that their pediatric opthamologist's office carries frames as well.  I think those are the super lucky ducks!

BTW, this cute guy is Brychan's cousin, Zachary.  
Zach is less than 6 months younger than Brychan.  You'll hear more about his story later,
but obviously eye care concerns run in the family.


Now.  Before I go any further, I want to clarify the difference between an optometrist and an opthamologist.  An optometrist does 4 years of undergraduate schooling plus 4 years of specialized training.  An optometrist has training in basic eye care and treatment; prescriptions and eye diseases.  They do not have a MD title, but an OD title.

An opthamologist goes to 4 years of medical school, does a year of internship and then 3 years of residency before earning their MD.  Opthamologists receive specialized training for all factors of eye health care and diagnosis, including surgery.

In my personal opinion...optometrists are fantastic for your basic eye exams.  My husband and I go to an optometrist for our eye care needs.  However, for specialized needs and young children, I would always use an opthamologist.

Until next week...

Adventures in Amblyopia Part One

This is something I've been wanting to blog about for some time.  I'm not sure what's taken me so long; other than the fact that the amount of information can be overwhelming, and I'm definitely no expert.  But, I'm going to turn this into a little series, just because there is SO much to say about it!  I really hope somebody finds this helpful...

I'm sure many of you have noticed that my oldest son, Brychan, wears glasses.  He's not quite 4 yet, and has been wearing them since about 19 months.  Glasses with such a young child has been quite the experience, and I'd like to share some of the most frequently asked questions we get!

The number one question we get is: How did you know your son needed glasses?

When he was about 17 months old, I started noticing that his right eye would turn in towards his nose just ever so slightly.  It was totally random and was hard to see at first.  For several days, I just wondered if I was seeing things, but then one day it was so noticeable that I called my husband right away.  I tried to calm myself from freaking out and we made an appointment with his pediatrician. We left that appointment with a referral and an appointment to see a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Our first visit with the pediatric ophthalmologist was as good as could be expected, I guess.  We were told that he was severely near-sighted and had amblyopia (lazy eye).  I was totally confused, because Brychan could see birds and planes in the sky with no issue, and could find the tiniest any on the ground without bending over.  The doctor explained that in young children, the brain compensates for weak eyes and helps them be able to see perfectly.  Nice, right?  Not so much.  In a child with a severe vision impairment, you have until the age of 8 to correct it.  If not corrected, it could lead to blindness in that eye.  So while it's nice that the brain is helping them out, it's kind of detrimental too.

However, we were told that while it would take a very long time, with the proper management, his eye could be "fixed" (ie strong enough to not be lazy.  I don't like using the term "fixed" but for lack of a better word, there it is) and his vision could greatly improve.  Music to this devastated mother's ears!!

This was right after our first visit to the eye doctor.  It obviously didn't phase him one bit.  I, on the other hand, cried non-stop for days on end.  I knew it wasn't the end of the world; it could be much worse, and it was just glasses after all.  Both my husband and I have bad eyes, so we knew our children would need glasses eventually.  But at 18 months old? And the realization that my baby wasn't perfect was really hard to swallow.

I'll stop there for now.  But I'll be back next week with more FAQs. The moral of today's "story" is to get your child's eyes checked before they start kindergarten!!  If you notice eyes that are turning in any time after 6 months of age (before 6 months, it's developmentally normal for their eyes to wander), get them to the pediatrician asap!!