My 10 y.o. dd was diagnosed last week with detached retinas in each eye. She was predisposed to them but has never had an issue beyond needing glasses for very high nearsightedness. Unfortunately, the drs. are not sure what sight she will regain (her right eye was horrible and they ended up taking out her lens as part of the repair which won't get replaced for 3-4 months). Obviously we are dealing with the emotional affects of this. Now as I sit and think of everything ahead for her I am realizing, as trivial as it sounds given what is happening, that the gifts we bought her for Christmas may not be as useful as they once would have been. I had bought an Ipod touch (she has an 8gb but it was a refurb. older model which is now filled). She is only able to comfortably use my Ipad right now. She used to love large jigsaw puzzles (1000 piece) but can't do them now. She also got board games and a password journal (right now I am scribing her school work for her so writing is difficult).
Her vision may or may not improve to some degree (definitely won't go back to the way it was) so it is really hard to judge whether I should return things to make sure what she gets is useful to her now even though it may mean her not getting things she asked for. Just wondering what others would do in this situation.
I am so sorry your daughter is going through this. Our daughter has an eye disease that has effected one eye (and could start just as abruptly in her other eye at any time). It's a really scary prospect. One thing I've learned with my own research is that there are a lot of ways to get the most out of whatever limited vision they have. Don't be afraid ask for whatever assistance you need from the school, and research and try out low vision aides, whatever else you need to help your daughter feel in control of her life and able to handle this transition. There is a lot of help to be found.
Talk with your daughter. At 10 she should be able to articulate her thoughts better than anyone could guess for her over the internet.
Best of luck to you and your family.
She needs to talk about it and vent her feelings; but from my experience with our DD, I'm not sure she would have any way of knowing what toys/technology will work best for her at this point. At least not until she has a chance to try them out. Our daughter kept coming up with scenarios she didn't expect visually and it was trial and error at first.
My DH had both retinas detach about a year ago or so. He really loved having a CD player with books on tape and Kindles have a voice feature that he uses when his eyes are bothering him.
Lots of luck to your DD ~ I'm so sorry this is happening to her!
I did a little searching on the internet to compare the Kindle and the Ipad/Ipod. At this point, Apple has the edge here. The Kindle can read the books, but there is no voice over feature prior to that point. If she can't see the screen, someone would have to get through those steps for her. Apple has voice over from the first open page which would help her navigate to the books, music, etc that she is looking for.
Keep the iPod because you can use them for books on tape. they are using iPods for the visually impaired now. You can get other resources from your local library for the blind (or in the state - they will usually snail mail you resources.)
All Apple products have voice over from the first screen, so she could probably make use of an Ipod for music and audio books. But, if she likes the kids' apps and games (and can see them on your Ipad), I think I'd go with the suggestion below.
if you returned everything could you get her an ipad of her own? i believe target has a 75$ gift card on one this week.
I agree. You already know she can use it and it has all the features of the Ipod. Honestly, this Christmas I'd be more inclined to spend a little more on something that she can get the most use out of. If her vision improves later, she still has her current Ipod for music and the Ipad for games and internet access (and if you add the wireless keyboard, it's almost a laptop). I wouldn't feel like I wasted my money on the upgrade.
I second talking to your DD. You are going through alot, but she is also. She needs to air out what she is thinking and feeling.
I am so sorry that you are struggling with this right now
She will need to talk it out, and I feel for you. It's very hard. Our daughter's vision issues are nowhere near this severe, but she avoids discussing it at every turn (She's blessed to still be able to "avoid" it). Kids strive to be normal/like everyone else and this can leave them feeling "not". I would look for accomodations and technology that will help her feel as typical as every other kid.
Return the board games and a password journal these can be repurchased later if things get better.
My Dd has a Life Scribe Smart Pen to help her with school. It records spoken words of the teachers, while the camera in it records the written notes. It comes with the special dot paper it needs. And everything can be downloaded onto a computer to keep for studying. Dd says it has helped make school so much easier for her. If she miss something, or didn't understand, she can go back to the teacher's explain, again and again. She went though her schools disabilities department and was given permission to use it in all her classes.
Here is the website to check out,
http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/
I've seen these at Staples and I think
Best Buy. Might be a good place to try them out and see how they work. It sounds like a really helpful option for school, etc. Maybe she could even use it as an oral journal at home?? Journaling is a great way to work through your emotions.
My only other idea was a large, lighted magnifier for her desktop. If she can see the Ipad reasonably well. This might work for her, and allow her to do high contrast puzzles with larger pieces. I know it won't be the same as what she did before, but it may help.
Sorry I went on so long. I hope everything works out for your daughter and her surgery is successful. You also might try posting your question on the DISabilities board, I know there are a few folks on there who could probably help.
which makes it hard to talk to her too much about the preents. We have talked at length about her feelings and only yesterday did she express sadness, I am a school social worker, so trust me my kids are asked more than they care to about their feelings, fears, etc.
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