OT: My 7 year old is virtually blind!?!

[sndfan]

I'm nearsighted (-6.5 in both eyes) and consider myself "blind as a bat".

There are all kinds of special lenses you can get to make the Rx thinner...you may want to make sure that they are shatterproof too if possible. When I first got my glasses many years ago, they were actually made of glass and those puppies were heavy!

Good news is...there are all kinds of "cool eyewear" these days...find something they are comfortable in.

 

[Feralpeg]

I tried to get Lasik for my DD a couple of years ago. They would not do it before age 18. Even then, they said it would be better to wait until she turns 21. Prior to age 21, there eyes are too hard and the surgery is less effective.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I teach 1st grade and this past year I had a student in my class who was very bright but her performance just wasn't measuring up. She was doing all sorts of things like writing in a column, gluing things upside down etc... Many people had already labeled her as a bit of a behavior problem or "spacey" but there was something about her that made me think that wasn't the case. Anyway, I suggested to her mom (who I also know personally) that they have her eyes checked. No problems were found by the 1st eye doctor. They pushed for more tests with a specialist and the poor girl needed bi-focals! It was amazing how her behavior improved and how quickly her reading progressed once the poor girl could see! It seems like so many kids who wear glasses get them in 1st or 2nd grade. I'm glad you found the root of the problem.

 

[disneymarie]

I know how you feel Mom. It is so difficult we want the best health for our kids. I recently realized just how bad my daughters eyes were to. she did fail the school test 4 years ago, and the optomitrist. She refused glasses until 6th grade when they got so bad.
Finally, last week we talked her into it, or my DIL did. Katies eyes were so far sighted and astigmatisms that they recommended the anti glare too. When she got the glasses they made her dizzy and misfooted. she is getting more use to them, but I see her today doing her close work without them on. I know she has to keep wearing them to get use to that like when I got my noline bifocals.

she is too squemish for contacts but would like them, not sure ith the astigmatism. Won't even allow dental xrays from anxiety so no way to get lasik done. I feel horriable how bad they are. My husbands are bad, but he does not have the astigmatisms like this.
She also passed the first test doctor did.
What if it keeps progressing was my fear!
Hope that the glasses help your son.
dianne
PS my younger brother was like that in school, in the 60's, but testing found he was nearly deaf. Back in those days they opened things like ears with rods of toxic radium things. But, he would today have been diagx as ADD.

 

[amsafko]

I so know how you feel. My dd was having some strange behavioral problems starting before age 1. When she was 1, my mom (who has 8 kids, so she knows a thing or two) suggested we get our daughter's eyes checked. Ped. said to wait a bit "every parent thinks their child sits too close to the TV". Her behavior got increasingly difficult (a lot of sensory issues) so we had her evaluated by early intervention (I now am a social worker with EI). They again suggested an eye exam and I went in a told the ped. I wanted one and lo and behold...she is a -11.5 in both eyes! Essentially she was legally blind from birth in both eyes without glasses. I bawled my eyes out - I knew there was something amiss but didn't push harder. She spent 2 of the most important years developmentally unable to process anything visually. I felt guilty but know that there's nothing I can do about it now and she now is absolutely fine with glasses - her eyes haven't gotten worse but haven't improved at all. Everyone loves her in glasses - she always gets the disney frames (Tinkerbell this time). We will likely look into contacts around age 10 or so (dr. suggested that). Don't be too hard on yourself, kids can really compensate for the lack of vision - my daughter learned to distinguish one blob from another so that it I asked her to get something she could. Best of luck...

 

[Auggiedaugie]

When I saw the title of this thread I just had to open it up as it hits so close to home. I too am one of those who has said “how did I miss that?” My DD, who is also 7, was recently diagnosed with a retinal scar in her left eye. Her central vision is extremely poor (legally blind levels) and there is nothing that can be done about it. So now when she plays sports we have to protect her “good eye”. It is depressing just thinking about it. I try to keep my emotions in check by reminding myself things could be worse, but hopefully never will be. Also, our children are probably much more resilient then we are. So please everyone, as others have said, don’t beat yourself up about these things and be grateful that glasses can help correct the problems, I wish that was the case for us.

 

[Brer Shay]

You're not alone!

My DD was always very observant, she'd notice all sorts of things that DS didn't. I never dreamt she had vision problems. When she was 5 I took her to the optometrist when the rest of the family went for check-up. I was completely shocked to learn that she had a cataract in one eye (though no visible cloud externally) and nearsighted astygmatism. She got glasses to correct most of it, and I couldn't believe how bad her vision is. No obvious signs and she was beginning to read. Dr said that she's never known anything different, so it was "normal" to her and she just found ways to compensate. Wow.

Dr. also said to hold off on any eye surgery until her eyes are more fully developed unless there is some overriding concern. Don't think I'd consider LASIK for quite a while. For sports, DH is a coach and lots of players have recspecs that are cool.

Good luck to you and your DS.

 

[mumom95]

I need to research Lasik and other eye surgeries. If his eyes are this bad this young it might be better to have that done as soon as possible so he can play sports without the hassle.

!

My dh had Lasik done as an adult and he says it is the best thing that he's every done. But I don't think (unless things have changed in the 6 years since he had it done) that they will do it on kids. Even then they said pregnant women and women breastfeeding couldn't have it done because of the hormonal changes in their bodies (some how it affects their vision). Back then the eye doctor said a person had to be in their 20's (because by then their bodies have matured and the hormones have calmed down) at least with no major hormonal changes (pregnancy and breastfeeding) happening within six months of the surgery. Maybe things have changed since then, I don't know.

 

[lntsmom]

The Lasik thing makes sense...at least contacts are available now. I remember when I was a kid and some of the boys had those horrible black military-style frames and the thick straps to keep the glasses on their heads.

My son already has social issues because he has tongue thrust. We moved from MO to CO last year, and thank heaven, here he qualified for speech therapy. In MO they said he had to wait until he was 9! His speech is much improved, enough so that it shouldn't be hard for anyone to understand him.

I am hoping that between being able to see and having kids able to understand him now he'll have a much better year this year.

Thanks to those of you who shared stories...I know it will take him awhile to adjust to the glasses, but I hadn't thought of some things, such as how they may affect his motor abilities! I'm going to talk with him about these things in hopes that it will make the big change that's about to happen to him less stressful.

Thanks again for the support!
Beth

 

[Fabinva]

It happened to me too, got a call from nurse at school telling me my 7yr old son was blind on left eye (lazy eye) and I've never thought about having his vision measured before that. He has been wearing an eye patch and had to pay almost $400 to get him glasses that do not look as thick as the reg ones. He hates to wear eye patch to school but his vision on left eye went from
-400 to -40 in about 10months. I learned my lesson and took younger daughter (5) and sure enough she needed glasses too but nothing like son, she only needs to read and watch TV and was told her vision should correct itself within a year. I wish the pediatician or someone had recommended or pointed out how important vision screening for young children is.
Good luck to you.