Eyesight

Updated on March 05, 2010
R.D. asks from Burnsville, MN
14 answers

My 7 year old already has glasses but complained about still not seeing well. The optometrist said her eyes have gotten worse, and strangely can't get her eyesight with his lenses to be 20/20. The best he can do is 20/50. He says he can't find anything else wrong and doesn't know why this is happening. She also complains about seeing white spots. Has anyone run into this issue?

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S.C.

answers from Detroit on

take her to an OPTHAMALOGIST, they specialize in the development of the corneas and all that. if anyone would be able to tell if there is an issues there it would be them.

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E.B.

answers from Duluth on

My neighbor's daughter was having issues with her eyes when she was 6 going on 7, and when they took her to the eye doctor, they asked if she was in first grade--and said that frequently, kids at that age go through weird things with their eyes. Her eyes were focusing oddly--like clouding out the peripheral stuff. Anyway, I would definitely not ignore it, but this is just something to keep in mind.

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K.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

Get her to a pediatric opthalmologist! That sounds like something that shouldn't be ignored. I think the ped. opth. department at the U is very good. Let us know what you find out.

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L.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Ask her when she sees the white spots. If it's only when looking at lights, then her vision is just cloudy and the lights look like orbs, or "white spots" I've worn glasses since age 10 and this has always been an indication to me that my sight has changed.

Instead of going to an optometrist, find an ophthalmologist that specializes in children. They may be able to get her lens correction closer to 20/20.

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C.C.

answers from Fresno on

Ask for a referral to a pediatric ophthalmologist. I've had my share of eye issues, and I've learned that most optometrists only know how to tell you how bad your eyes are, they have no idea what causes it or how to fix it.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

take her to an opthamologist right away. an optomoetrist is great for getting glasses but they are not true medical doctors. white spots is not good she may have a retina problem. i would get it checked out.

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K.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

you might want to take her to the dr.there could be more wrong with her than meets the eye...

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A.C.

answers from Madison on

Also, is she seeing an eye doctor for adults or children? My daughter is 10; she's worn glasses since she was three years old. She is farsighted and also has Strabismus. We were sent straight to a Pediatric Optomalogist. An Optomalogist (not sure if I'm spelling that right) does a lot more tests and can see things an optometrist at the mall cannot. Also, an Optomalogist is a doctor; some of the things they look for in the eye can also tell if there are other body illnesses, like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. In fact, for my daughter's Strabismus we've been using a very specific computer game to strengthen her eye that was recommended by her doctor; because it was recommended by a doctor, our Flex Plan reimbursed us for the cost (about $75).

There aren't very many Pediatric Optomalogists around, but if you can find one and can get your daughter in, I would highly recommend you go that route. If you live near Madison, WI, I can give you the name of my daughter's Pediatric Optomalogist.

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B.O.

answers from Portland on

The white spots could be a sign of early onset diabetes.

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R.B.

answers from Grand Forks on

You are probably gonna want her referred to a Pediatric Opthamologist ASAP. You will be amazed at what the can figure out with children. My middle child had to have his first set of glasses at 6 months. Amazing how well these people are trained and the amount of people that can be helped.

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E.V.

answers from Minneapolis on

I'm not being alarmist in any way, but simply offering a preventative idea. I really think you should go see a neurologist. So many issues with the eyes are direct results of something neurological. That doesn't always mean something bad, but you'd either want to know that nothing is going on there or be aware of an issue and be able to clear it up. I've known lots of people where there were eye issues and no one mentioned a neurologist until later and the neurologist was the one to actually diagnose the problem. Also- maybe a new optometrist?? It doesn't sound right that he cannot correct her eyesight.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I'm surprised that the optometrist didn't refer you to an ophthalmologist. Optometrists are trained to test eyes for correction and to recognize common ailments. They are not medical doctors. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors and have more education, experience, and options for diagnosis and treatment than an optometrist does. I would make an appointment right away. One cause for this can be juvenile diabetes but there could be other causes as well. You'll want a diagnosis and treatment before her eyes become worse.

Her white spots could be floaters which are of no consequence. We all have floaters. But you want to be sure. At 7 her eyes should correct to 20/20, if not with glasses, perhaps contact lenses or a combination of both.
Since you say they have gotten worse quckly, I'd want to know if there is a cause that could be treated. If it's juvenile diabetes you want to get treatment raw before her eyes aren't corrected at 50/50 even.

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V.W.

answers from Cleveland on

Take her to an Opthalmologist, He can use drops to refract or dilate the pupil so he ccan see what is going on. The optomertist cannot use drops.

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J.E.

answers from Cedar Rapids on

R. - I started wearing glasses in third grade and then contacts in 10th grade. While in college I had an eye doctor for a couple of years that I thought was great. Until he tried for a year to fit me in new contacts and couldn't. We tried everything - hard, semi-hard, gas-permeable, many brands of soft - and no luck. He finally came to the conclusion that I was not going to ever be able to wear contacts again. That was unacceptable in my opinion. I asked around and went to another doctor that one of my friends had been using with good results. I walked out of his office the day of my first appointment wearing the contacts he prescribed for me and never had another problem.
In telling you all that, my point is - please get a second opinion. All doctors are definitely not alike. There is an answer to her eyesight difficulties you just need to find a doctor that can discover what it may be - or at least give you a direction in which to look. I hope everything works out!
J.

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