Mom Full of Worries Please Help!!!

My mother was told the same things when I was a year old. I have worn glasses ever since. As long as you can get her to wear the glasses now and every day, her eyes will correct but never be perfect 20/20. She will probably be wearing glasses/ contacts her whole life. I had to wear a patch when I was older over my good eye so that my bad eye would get a little better. It is really nothing to stress over. It happens. She is not going to lose her vision. Hopw this helps

No need to stress. 2 of my children wear glasses and both have the lazy eye and both eyes are bad. They both started wearing glasses when they were 2 and now they are 13 & 5.When they got their glasses, you couldntpry them off of them. They could finally see. To this day I have to take their glasses off of them when they go to sleep. You will be amazed how good she will wear them.

This will work out. If she couldn't wait for the glasses the doctor would have done something quicker. The glasses will stay on well, and she will probably like them so she won't try to take them off.

Hi J., My nephew who is now 25 was diagnosed with lazy eye when he was just 1 1/2 yrs old. His doctor also put the patch on him and he had to wear glasses. There is a eyeglass strap for really young children that they used with him to keep his glasses on. He would wear the patch for a period of time and then take it off for short periods. This went on for several months. Now at 25 his eye is normal and as far as I know he has no problems with it. His doctor did say the same thing your doctor told you. That had it not been treated at an early age he would have had bad problems and possibly gone blind. My sister and her husband coped fine, they just had to watch my nephew and teach him how to care for his glasses. I'm sure your daughter will do fine. I'll be praying for you and your daughter. Hope this helps some.

J.,

There are resources for the families of Military from DOD. Even if you are separated he has to help support you while you are married. (The Military does not recognize separation) Usually it is the equivalent of his BAQ. If you are still married and together he has to help support you.

You can go to his company commander (or the officer above him). That works depending on his rank. My advice is to go first to the JAG office on post and see exactly what your rights are. Tell then your concerns and they should help you or give advice on where to go for help.

I am an X-army wife married for 26 years. The threat of exposing his affair was enough for him to not quibble over the support. (In certain military circles that is frowned up on) I am not sure what your circumstances are, but you deserve his monetary support. Look on line, there are many forms that will help answer your questions. I wish you all the best.

J.,

I am a 44 year old woman who had almost exactly the same problem as a child. The only difference was that I was near-sighted, but I had the lazy eye. I also wore glasses from the time I was about 2 until I was about 5 for the lazy eye. The glasses had "prisms" in the center to focus my eyes to the center. At 8 years old, I began to wear glasses for the near-sightedness, and I wear contacts to this day. I had to do eye exercises (what they called pencil pushups) to get my eyes to work together, and also wear a red filter on one eye. I was told to make sure the world looked pink, which meant I was using both eyes. I also was patched for a short period of time.

OK, all this history to tell you that I am a perfectly happy, perfectly healthy adult. I was an honor student in high school and college and earned a teaching certificate as well as a psychology degree. I also have graduate level credits in psychology and am a education consultant for the local school district. You would never know that I ever had this problem, except that sometimes at night my vision gets a little doubled when I am tired. I remember telling my father after getting my first glasses that I never knew that grass looked like "ones" (blades) because I always just saw a blur. He (to this day) feels so guilty that he didn't realize it sooner. But, I don't have any problem with it! In fact, I appreciate good sight so much and I make sure that my 3 kids go to the eye doctor each year. All three (ages 17, 14, and 12) wear glasses or contacts now. No lazy eyes...just a lot of nearsightedness!

I am not an eye doctor, but I don't believe that waiting 6 weeks for glasses will hurt her irreparably. If it would, they would certainly rush them to avoid a lawsuit! If you are worried, you might want to try eye exercises, such as slowly moving your finger to touch the tip of her nose and see if she can follow your finger all the way in. Make it a game, and it may also help her focus and control her eyes.

I know how panicky you feel, but please know that you did the right thing by noticing the problem and taking action. Stay on top of it and trust your gut. This will turn out just fine...I know it!!

first of all tell the eye doctor you are worried about now and when yer glasses get here. ask him for his advice. never feel like you are bothering your children's doctors offices, that is what they are there for! if it makes you feel better to call them 10 times a day and ask questions do it. call them and ask what you can do in the meantime to help your child! also pray and ask others to pray! will definately will be praying for you both! ask him what percent chance that the eye could get worse in 6 weeks. also, would it be best to keep her out of the sun? low lighting in the home, limit tv watching, ask all the questions you can think of! don't worry till it's time and hopefully that time will never come, also, don't let your child feel your stress or worry.

God Bless

i hope this helped some!

L. l

Hello J.! I have a 7 yr old daughter who has the same problem. I first noticed it when she was turning two. She also is farsighted. I also cried when I thought of my baby not being able to see. But to my surprise, she put her glasses on and wore them with NO problems. The doc said that she would keep them on b/c she can see. In the five years she has worn her glasses, her eyesight has gotten better every time she went to the doc. He even said that she might grow out of the problem. So, don't worry. If she keeps her glasses on her sight will more than likely begin to improve. I know it is hard not to worry....I felt the same when I found out that she had to get glasses. Everyone thinks my daughter is so cute in her glasses and she thinks that is cool. So, don't worry...things will be okay! Good luck!!

Are you sure the patch will go on the bad eye? My daughter wore the patch on her good eye to help strengthen the bad eye. Don't worry about the length of time it takes to get the glasses...the doctor doesn't want your daughter to go blind and would put a rush on it if this would happen in this period of time. My cousin also had a lazy eye and started wearing glasses at 3 years...when they start wearing them this early they accept it as normal...like shoes. You can't tell she had it now except when she is REALLY tired it turns just slightly.

Discuss your concerns with your doctor...but try not to worry too much. Your doctor is aware of your daughter's problem and aware of how long the glasses will take. If he or she didn't suggest a temporary solution, it is probably fine. I was diagnosed with a lazy eye at 6 months old. I've worn glasses every day of my life since then. I'm now 37 and other than I need the glasses, everything worked out fine. I'm certain medical technology has gotten better since 1970. Good luck.

B.

J.
I had close to the same experience as you with my oldest son We noticed that his Right eye pulled in we took him to the eye Dr and of course glasses we went back for our check up and she wanted to put bifocals on him I freeked so I took him to an opthomoligist who could do surgery if he needed it.(If you are from the Saltville area I would recomend Dr Conrad because he is also a facial plastic surgen).Dr Conrad said he did not need surgery nor bifocals and that he would probably not need glasses as a teenager he is now 13 and has not needed to wear glasses for about a year and no noted eye problems. As far as getting him to wear them he went to bed with them on and got up and put them on bacause he could see so much better so if your daughter truly needs them you will probalby not have any problems hope this helps

Hi. I also have a son with a lazy eye and has to wear glasses all the time. We also found out when he was 2, he is now 12. We had alot of problems at first keeping track of his glasses. He would take them off and hide them or keep bending them till they finally broke. I found them in the dog food container, under the furniture, he even through them out of a moving car window once(we never found those). We spent alot of money replaceing glasses that first year. It took him awhile but he finally excepted that he was going to have to wear them, now they are the first thing that he reaches for when he gets up. The doctors also told me he would have to wear a patch but has never had to. I have 6 children and they all wear glasses but he is the only one with a lazy eye. She will adjust to wearing the glasses, you will just have to watch her for awhile till she gets used to them. The one thing that bothers me about your problem is why is it taking so long to get her glasses. I'm not sure where you live but here it takes 10 days at the longest usually back within 5. We live in Indiana.

Hi J.,

I don't have a child with the same problem, but I *was* a child with that same problem. :) I had/have a lazy eye as well that was diagnosed early (I have a grandfather who used to be an optometrist). I wore glasses from a very early age and it wasn't a problem. What got me to wear the glasses is that they wanted me to wear an eye-patch, and I absolutely refused!! So it was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. Perhaps if your little on doesn't cooperate with the glasses, put a patch on her and see if she changes her mind, lol!

And just to ease your mind, I turned out just fine. I only wear glasses for reading now.

Hope that helps put your mind at ease.

J.

I have not gone through this with my own child, but over 30 years ago my mom went through the same thing with my sister. She started wearing glasses at age 1.5. My mom always told us that once she got them she could see much better and so she wanted to wear them. She also made a big deal about her glasses going to help her see better and how good they looked on her. Pretty much she just really taked up the glasses like she would a new dress or soemthing. To make a long story short she just made her feel special, my sister wanted to see, and she did not have an option but to wear them. As for the 6 weeks I am sure that she will be fine, but in my rounds at the eye doctor it never takes as long as they say and you may even be able to get the glasses faster if you ask and even pay a few dollors more! Good luck and please encourage your daughter. My sister, brother and I all were in glasses by 2nd grade and we are just fine. My sister's eyes are just as normal as anyone elses with glasses!!!

My bosses grandson had this problem when he was young too. He had to wear the patch and glass. Even though I'm puzzled as to why it would take six weeks for the glasses I just wanted you too know that now his grandson doesn't wear glass and eyes are fine. Just bare with your daughter. If there's other family members that wear glasses make a point to let her know how good they look in them and how good she will look in hers. If she has to wear the patch maybe you can find designs to put on them anything to make her feel good about the patch. Hope this helps. I pray everything will work out for her too. Keep your chin up.

6 weeks seems like an awful long time to wait for glasses. Are they special order or something? If you have the prescription in hand, I would contact some other eye care places and see how long they would take. As for her keeping them on, I'm sure you probably will have a few struggles at first, but once she realizes that they help her see, I dont' think you'll have much of a problem. You can also buy those elastic straps that attatch to the ear pieces and go around the back of her head to help her keep them on at first. As with any "big" change in a toddler's life, make a big deal out of it. Tell her how pretty she looks in her glasses, how wonderful they are, etc, etc, etc. My little sister had a lazy eye when she was a little older than your daughter, but because it was caught early enough, it was corrected and she has no lasting effects of it.

Take a deep breath first :-) Keeping the glasses on will be a challenge, but you can get an athletic strap to put on her head. Just keep putting them back on while quietly encouraging her and telling her how good she looks and how much better she will be able to see the pretty world. Eventually, she will get used to them. And the doctor knows there is a delay getting the glasses. Talk to him if you are as worried about the delay as you sound. She could always wear a patch (tape it on with tape that won't bother her skin) until the glasses arrive. I doubt that the delay will hurt her. I believe he was talking long range, that if you didn't do ANYTHING it could harm her sight. Relax. R.

I grew up w/ having lazy eye... my advice is make a game out of the patch if she needs to wear it. Pirates or something. I know I never wanted to wear it & got frustrated w/ it quite a bit. As for the glasses... it will mean just working w/ her to keep them on. patience patience patience lol Who knows once she realizes she can see better w/ them she may WANT them on. I dont know about yours but I've got a almost 2yo who will do almost anything as long as I tell him it's something a big boy would do. (Take your meds like a big boy or lets be a big boy & put these toys away) if she's into Princess stuff... tell her it will make her a beautiful princess if she wears the glasses. if the doc said they caught it in time then most likely she will be just fine. Good luck!!

Chill out! I had a lazy eye when I was little. They gave my mother exercises to do with me and glasses for a short time and it was returned to normal. I didn't wear glasses all through school because it was all healed early in life.
If they eye doctor thought that she would go blind in 6 weeks, don't you think that he would do some kind of rush order and get them to you sooner. She will be fine. Don't sweat it. You will only make her nervous. About how she will wear them... first of all she will be able to see better and will like it and when she takes them off she will realize that it is better with them on. Then they give you something that straps onto their head to keep them on. I don't think that it is going to be as bad as you think it is going to be. Don't stress... you will make her nervous. She will be just fine.

If this is going to cause you financial hardship, contact your local Lions Club - it is their mission to help people keep and recover eyesight, especially children. A program specifically for screening children is called KidSight and is free to daycares and preschools and will detect lazy eye among other conditions for ages 1-5. Lions Clubs collect and donate eyeglasses, fund research and appointments for people of all ages. Yes, I am a Lion, for less than a year, but am familiar with most of the programs.

A patch is the way to go to cure lazy eye - it strenghtens the eye that has decided to quit working, and once it is reconnected properly to the brain, the patch will come off and glasses may be needed to continue the path of correction. A clear lens will be on the "good" eye and a prescription may be on the other.

I don't know tips on how to keep the glasses on, but good luck!!

First off, SIX WEEKS? All three of my children wear glasses. The youngest has worn them since he was 4. I have never had it take more than 2 weeks tops for myself or any of my children to get their glasses. I don't know why it is going to take your doctor so long to get your childs glasses. Also, my three children have all been young when they started wearing glasses. They have all done beautifully. We have had some broken glasses along the way, I won't lie to you. But I have 3 wearing glasses, so the odds are very high that someones is going to break at some point. My youngests eyes are actually starting to improve. When he originally got his glasses, it was supposed to be temporary (1-2 years). He is now 11. The last two times I took him to the eye doctor, his eyes had improved quite a bit. I hope this helps.

I had a lazy eye when I was little and wore a patch for a while. My eyes now are almost 20/20 and don't have glasses or contacts. Dont worry she will be fine and I have known other kids around your daughters age that have had to start wareing glasses. You can do it!

As I read your story about your little girl's vision problems, I realized that you could have been my mother describing me at that age. When I was about 2 years old, my left eye starting turning in, and I was extremely farsighted. Not only that, but I had to have surgery on that eye and did have to wear a patch for a while. I'm telling you this to reassure you. You see, today I see perfectly. I did wear glasses from the time I was 18 months old, and got contact lens when I was about 12 or 13. However, once I became an adult, I had LASIK eye surgery performed, and for 4 years now I have been able to see without glasses OR contacts!! It's the greatest thing ever! So, don't fret too much. Your little girl is going to be just fine. By the way, I don't remember wearing the patch at all. Only in photographs is there proof of that!

I just wanted to spread some light on this eyesight thing for you. My daughter, who is now almost eight years old, has a "lazy eye". She was diagnosed when she was 4 years old. The eye doctor told me that she had limited sight in her right eye(lazy eye)and that what was happening was that her left eye was far better than her right to make up for the loss of sight in her right eye. He told me that I should just watch her and continue to bring her for a yearly check-up. He also told me that putting a patch on her eye or giving her glasses would stress us both out more than it would help her sight. I do forsee having to get glasses for her this year. There has been little or no change in her sight since age 4. If anything the good eye sight has gotten better. Better than 20/20 vision in it. I know this situation is not quite the same, however, I do not think there is a need to worry about 6 weeks. As bad as this is to say, I think sometimes doctors try to scare you....maybe something to do with money...who knows. I hope this lessens your stress some.

Hi J.,

My name is J. and a mother of two beautiful babies. I'm now 36 years old and I understand what you are going through but from your babies side. I myself was put on glasses when I was two years old and shortly there after was diagnosed with a "Lazy Eye" my parents were told straight out that I would need surgery to fix it.
They (my parents) decided to check into alternative solutions to fixing the problem and started me on eye excersizes which were turned into games at first to keep me entertained while I worked to strengthen that muscle which helped a lot. There are several things that can be done to strengthen her eye muscle - a patch can work... although I never needed it.
The only issue I still have remaining from the "lazy eye" is that when I get VERY tired and or get a headache I can feel that muscle in my eye wanting to 'wander off' instead of staying focused. It's nothing freakish, it just takes a bit of extra work to keep my vision focused during those times.

On a good note for my circumstances I pretty much stopped needing to use my glasses at a very young age in jr. high school and, I no longer need or use them now. (each person is different, I happen to be lucky and blessed not to need them to see better).
Please do not stress out over this too much, when it comes to your children - I know that's near impossible to say being they ARE your life, however have faith that it will truly work out in the end.
Remember to do research and ask the doctor about eye excersizes that will help.

I wish you all the best for you and your baby!
J. M

Hi J.--you're worries are magnified because you love your child. The Dr., or staff at the office, can give you more information about your daughter's condition. I think perhaps that what she has is called amblyopia. One eye is just stronger than the other, and the brain tends to ignore the less focused eye. Over time, this becomes serious. Fortunately, your daughter is on track for this never becoming a serious issue (thanks to your good care.) One of my four children (he's 37 now!) had this condition, and apparently the treatment has not changed much over the years. My son was diagnosed at age 3 after a screening at a pre-school program. The object of the patch, or eyedrops that dilate the STRONGER eye, so vision is fuzzed. This forces the brain to concentrate on the weaker eye, which strengthens it. It can be a frustrating process. With his 'good' eye fuzzy or patched, my boy was almnost blind, and very frustrated. BUT, we had good response and his vision improved a lot. I think you should contact the opthalmologist's office and tell the receptionist that you need to talk with someone when they have a chance to spend a little time going over the details with you. If you don't get satisfaction from this request, you might want to find another physician. I have been an office nurse (ob/gyn), and feel that an important part of their service is to help clients fully understand the health issues that they entrust to them. Hope this is helpful. D.

J.,
My daughter is 22 months old and has been wearing glasses since she was 11 months. Like your daughter she has a lazy eye, hers was caused by a congenital condition that made her unable to open her eyes. When she had corrective surgery at 8 months, she could open them, but because she hadn't been using them she needed the glasses.
We keep them on her as much as possible. She does take them off a lot, mostly to try and play with them. The dr said she would keep them on because she needed them to see, but she had other ideas :) He wanted me to put drops in her eyes that made things fuzzy if she wasn't wearing them, but after reading the side effects (stinging, burning and redness), we decided to just be vigilant in keeping them on her. It's a day to day thing and we just had to come to a point where we did the best we could and let go of the fears and worries.
The glasses we got for her at first were wire and the only thing available in her size. They squeezed her poor little face and were uncomfortable for her. Then we found this website: solobambini.com
The glasses we got from them are a soft, durable plastic and have a band that goes around her head. They are a million times better than the pair we got at the vision center. They have survived wear and tear and are sooo cute and comfortable. They come in lots of different colors, we went for lavendar.
Anyway, hope this helps. Message me if you have any questions.
-K.

My brother had that condition and he wore glasses when he was very small. I think once they understand how much better they can see with them on, they leave them on. My brother also wore a patch on his good eye in the evenings and exercised his bad eye by looking at pictures and playing with magnets on the side of the refridgerator. Also, playing video games also helped his eyes as he got older. Today, they have so many educational ones you could get for your child. Anyway, his lazy eye got all better, but he still has to wear contacts. And, of course you are worried, that's your baby.
I wonder why it is taking so long to get glasses? Maybe in the meantime, if the doctor thinks it's a good idea, go ahead and start working with a patch. That way, you are already doing something about it while you wait for the glasses to come in. But, I would definitly check on the wait for the glasses. Six weeks seems like a long time. Good luck, and just know that "This too, shall pass."

A. M.

J.,
Hello I just wanted to say this I will be 50 tomorrow. And I have been wearing glasses since I was 26 months old.I was farsighted in one eye and they did surgery and I had to wear a patch also for awhile to make my eyes stronger. It will be tuff but you and your daughter can do it. Just do as the doctors tell you and it should be fine.
She think about what all they have learned since I had mine done.

P. Gilbreath

Hi J.. First let me start by saying I have never heard of anyone losing their sight due to "lazy eye". My dad had a lazy eye which was passed on to me and my four children. My dad, two of my children and I have out grown our "lazy eye". My youngest son still has his but has exceptional vision, however my youngest daughter has trouble seeing distance and requires glasses. I just had them all to the eye dr. and he told me that both of them will grow out of their lazy eye. The dr. also told me that "lazy eye" is called that for he simple fact that the muscle in the eye is lazy or weak and most children grow out of it and that it can be corrected. As far as your daughters glasses goes you should ask her eye dr. about those special chains that some people wear to hang the glasses around their neck. They make special ones for children that holds them on their face and it makes it hard for them to take off. All I can tell you about the patch is that my nephew has to wear one for 6 hrs a day over his non lazy eye while wearing his glasses to help correct his lazy eye, and it has improved a lot since thanksgiving (2007) when he started wearing glasses and patches. And as far as your daughter not getting her glasses for six weeks, ask the dr. if there is anything you can start doing to help her eyes until you receive her glasses. My daughter had to go almost 3 months with out hers and the dr. gave my a list of eye execises to have her do. I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck. S. W.

Did you see a pediatric opthomologist? If you didn't, I would get her to one. I work with children with developmental delays, some have vision impairments. We got a pediatric eye doctor in town, and everyone loves him. Every family I work with says that it is a night and day difference from the regular eye doctor.

J.,

I really think you should get another opinion.
My son has a turn in his eye and so does my nephew. I would definately set up an appointment with a pediatric specialist.

I remember my brother being the same age when he got his first pair of glasses and he had to wear a patch because his eye drifted so badly. After a few years of wearing the patch (when he was around the house only) his eye became much stronger and he never had to wear it again. He still has contacts, but can see without them.
Best wishes for you and your daughter,
T.

Doctors dont know everything calm down. i have lazy eye and i am 44 years old and i can see fine and i have had it every since i was a child. stop worrying your baby will be just fine.

when you go to get the glasses let her pick some out that she willl like. It will probably help her wearing them if she likes them.