Last Tuesday, my sweet baby boy got some new spectacles. I hate that he can’t see well and needs them, but dang it, babies wearing glasses is just the cutest thing!
Our regular pediatrician, Dr. Hull, does a routine eye check at 6 months. They use a little computer to scan the babies eyes. Both girls had it done and were fine. At Jase’s 6 month check-up, they couldn’t get a good read on his eye test, so we rescheduled it for the 9 month check-up. At 9 months, they again weren’t getting a good reading so we were referred to a pediatric eye specialist in Huntsville.
I’m going to be honest here and say that I really thought there was nothing wrong with his vision. On the day of his visit, I was frustrated to be having to take off work for something that I knew was unnecessary.
When we got to the office, we had a preliminary eye scan completed by a technician. She asked me lots of questions about whether or not he rubbed his eyes often or squinted more than normal. I stupidly answered “no” to all these because I was totally naive. After this initial scan, the technician dilated his eyes and sent us to the waiting room where we played for a solid two hours.
Finally, when it was our turn to see the actual doctor, we went back into a room and Jase’s eyes were scanned by yet another technician. This time, the technician turned the computer screen toward the doctor. The doctor’s eyes got big and, I kid you not, she said “REALLY?” It was at this exact moment that I realized, “Hey, I think Jase might not be able to see so well.” Duh.
After several more scans and shining a light through different glass pieces, we had a diagnosis and a prescription. Y’all, Jase’s vision is bad. So bad that the ophthalmologist said his eyes would have started crossing had we waited much longer to have him checked. He is over-compensating so much that his eye muscles are straining and would eventually wear out. Hopefully, his wearing glasses will prevent any eye crossing in the future.
The symptoms he was showing for poor vision, I easily explained away. Does he rub his eyes a lot? I said no, but he does. I just always assumed it was because he was sleepy. Does he squint a lot? I said no, but he does. I called it his “serious face”. Does it take him a minute to find people’s faces? I said no, but it does. I just assumed he wanted to take everything in before looking in people’s eyes.
Honestly, I can already tell a huge difference with his glasses. He is walking so much better now. He makes eye contact immediately, where before, it would take him a minute. As much as I hate that he needs them, I am so excited that he can see now!
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