This is a good point about finding out the underlying cause so you can find the best provider. There is overlap, of course, which leads to the issues kbutton mentions, so you really have to figure out what the issue is you're trying to correct. My dd could see just fine up close despite her moderate farsightedness *because* she strained her muscles to do so. A special dilated exam (3 days of atropine drops before the appointment) revealed just how farsighted she was. In fact, she "passed" her first eye exam with the ophthalmologist because she could strain her eye muscles to focus in spite of the regular dilation drops. It wasn't until I took a picture of her with one eye completely turned in that the dr. ordered the other dilation and found the issue. The eye jumping around is distinctly different from my dd. OP, your mommy instinct is right to pursue more opinions and information until you are confident the issue is being treated correctly. ((hugs))

The original prescription was between +3 and +4 in each eye (I don't remember exactly). She would have needed bifocals if her farsightedness was more severe, but that didn't happen. She did not do VT. Her eyes didn't jump; they just turned in to her nose. The doctor said it was because she was so farsighted (which all kids are but some are worse than others) that she had to strain her muscles to try to focus. The glasses allowed her eye muscles to relax, and that's what prevented the turning in. If you can see a pediatric ophthalmologist, I would highly recommend it. There were only two in my HMO (in a gigantic, metropolitan area) and the one who treated dd was moved to an office an hour away, but I felt confident in her care so we made the trek.

Dd was dx’d with bilateral accommodative esotropia and began wearing glasses at 2.5. All her care was provided by a pediatric ophthalmologist. That’s the only place I felt comfortable having her evaluated and treated. After 5 years she no longer needed glasses.

Congrats on a beautiful beginning!

We've started at 6 a.m. for a couple of years now, and I don't think I could maintain my sanity if we started later. It does wonders for my perspective when we can knock out 1-2 difficult subjects early on. Hot chocolate or juice helps them.

We go to IHOP for breakfast and then to Target to buy school supplies. When we get home they decorate covers for their portfolios, and then we do 1-2 subjects that are novel and fun.

LegoLand has reduced hours in the winter (as in closed some weekdays) so check the calendar as part of your planning. We did DL for the first time with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 year olds. Loved having strollers for the younger two. The 4yo complained about it initially because he "wasn't a baby" but after walking a half mile he hopped in happily. Great place to keep stuff and know that two of the five were securely contained. :) Have fun!

Generally I don't let my kids sign up for anything until they are at least 6 and even then it's the weekly (free) club that meets at our church. I prefer waiting until they are older and will actually remember having done it. :lol: I did have one start music lessons at 6, but in hindsight 8 would have been better for him. I only did it because older ds was starting and they ended up sharing a lesson slot. Also, one dd started ballet at 6.75, but the prepro school she's at now starts all the 8yo's in Ballet 1 and begins with the basic plie so starting at age 3 or 4 wouldn't mean much. (It was important for my dd due to anxiety issues, but it wasn't important dance-wise.) In fact, I've just been looking at some summer camps related to my dc's passions and am fainting at the cost of higher-level week long intensives for adolescents. Not sure if we can afford them or not, but I'm glad I have money now that I didn't spend when they were too little to care. I do understand the social pressure issue, but we were home a lot more when they were little so I didn't really have to deal with much of it!

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

There is a lot of helpful info on this blog-turned-website. I am not a fan of the site's name and referred to it as "that site with the name I won't say" every time I told dh about something I'd read, but there was good information there.

Yes, there was whey in some Vitamin C tablets we had.

We've been able to get our older kids to help protect youngest dd. Every food in the house is known as either "dd-safe" or "not dd-safe." They will holler out if she grabs something that isn't "dd-safe" and they've learned not to let her eat off their plates. It was difficult for the first few months because they were used to sharing anything and everything with her. (She was 2.5 when we had to take her off milk and soy.) We also made a place where we kept dd-safe snack food. The older kids weren't allowed to eat from there without permission, and dd liked knowing where her special foods were. I'm sure it will be harder with a 19 month old, but dd, who is 3.5 now, will ask if things are safe for her or not so there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Dd3 had scalp-to-toe hives a couple of months ago. After ruling out all the typical possibilities, her pediatrician said you can get hives from a virus and it can take 1-2 weeks for them to go away. She said her daughter had had viral hives twice in the preceding months. It was the first I'd heard of it, but no other answer seemed to make sense. She prescribed a low-dose steroid because the Benadryl was no longer reducing the itch. I held off filling it one more day because I'm a little freaky about steroids. Fortunately, the day we saw the doctor was the peak and dd was more comfortable by the next day. They did come and go all over her body, sometimes after hours and sometimes within minutes.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I feel better prepared to make a decision.

Dd is uncomfortable without her glasses now so I'm not too worried about her taking them off just because (although the cable arms did help with that in the beginning). Definitely worried about the falling off the face while flinging herself around. I suppose I just have to get used to it.

Oh, dear! I could see that happening here. That's one point for cable arms. :lol:

That's good to know. I did talk to a mom who had had two young dc in glasses and she felt it was all about fit. In her opinion, if the fit was good, the cable arms weren't necessary, and she said they'd been through a lot of pairs over the years. I was worried about broken glasses with a toddler and was relieved it hadn't been a problem. It makes sense, though, that there could be more opportunities to break/lose glasses with school age kids. Ack!

I'll look into those and find out if our HMO stocks them. When we go through our HMO, we pay for the frames and they cover the lenses. If we go outside of them, it's 100% us. If Miraflex frames are that wonderful, though, it could be worth it! :)

Dd started wearing glasses last summer at age 2.5 (bilateral accommodative esotropia). We chose a pair with cable temples, the ones that wrap around behind the ear, because it seemed like they'd be less likely to fall off, and she has done well with them. She'll be getting new frames soon, though, and I'm wondering how to decide between cable temples and regular (not sure what the word is) ones. Hopefully she'll be wearing them from ages 3.5 to 4.5. I'd love to hear other people's experiences and preferences with either kind to see if I can come to a decision. Thank you!

Yes, of course. Still holding you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

Heartbroken for you and your family. :grouphug:

Congrats!!!

I'm so sorry for you and your dd. I've been there many times, two weeks ago most recently, and it hurts so much to see them hurt. I try to recite all the progress that's occurred when I'm in despair. I hope this is a restful day for all of you.

I followed so I could find it, but now I'm posting in case that doesn't do the trick!

Thanks for sharing your ds's journey with us!