jenn- Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 ARGH! Nothing worse than coming back from a doctor's appointment even more confused than before going in. Back story.. about 2 years ago, I got concerned about William's vision (he walked into non moving objects regularly). Turns out he was very slightly nearsighted which for a 3yo is very uncommon. Most are farsighted and those young ones you see with glasses are typically because they are too far farsighted. Anyways, the doctor didn't think it was actually affecting his vision enough to warrant glasses. We went back last year and his eyes had gotten a little worse, but still since his world was only an arm length away, the doctor wanted us to hold off again. That brings us to this year. He has once again gotten a little worse and has now developed a slight astigmatism. The doctor said if he was in a classroom, it would be a no brainer, he would have no choice but to put him in glasses. Since we homeschool and don't use something the distance of a chalkboard, he wants us to hold off another year. I guess the current studies show that the sooner you put them in glasses for nearsightedness the faster their eyes worsen. All that said he handed me a script and said to use my mommy intuition if I feel he needs them at any time during the year. That's why I bring him to the eye doctor! I don't have mommy intuition. I fear putting them on him and his eyes getting worse, but at the same time, I fear that my poor boy is living in a blurry world. I remember that feeling as a 3rd grader thinking that signs were blurry and in 4th grade when I finally got them the world was so clear to me. By 5th I had to wear them full time, and now I am quite blind (seriously). So obviously waiting didn't help me (as a matter of fact my siblings all had glasses by 1st and their eye sight is still several points lower than mine). So do I put him in glasses now and clear up his world, or hold off another year in hopes his eyes don't get quite so bad as quickly? Both DH and I have fairly strong scripts so I really can't see holding off making any difference at this point since the downward trend has started so young. William's script came back as -1.00 and -1.50 with astigmatism in both eyes. What would you do if this was your 5yo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I had glasses at the age of 6 for the exact same thing, I am now 26 and am considered legally blind with out my glasses, his sight will get worse either way with the astigmatism, because that gets worse as your eyes grow, the near sighted may get worse or better with age depending on how his eyes grow. It's much better to get them now so he can get used to wearing them. I remember the eye doctor telling my parents the same thing when I was 7 so I didn't wear glasses again until I was about 11 and then I HATED wearing them because they were the ugly Medicaid plastic glasses, broke them on purpose all the time and also by that point my eyesight was so bad that I couldn't see clearly 7 feet in front of my face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Are you seeing an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Can you get another opinion from another doctor? My dd was born very premature and had retinapathy because of it. At her last visit they said she would need glasses next year at age 3 because she is rapidly becoming more nearsighted. I am legally blind without glasses- nearsighted- and I just can't imagine living that way all the time. While your son may not be doing traditional ps work, he IS learning and a lot of that learning is coming from how he views the environment around him. My brother got glasses at age 4 and never took them off. He was so nearsighted that he loved being able to see. It changed his world for the better. And, there are adorable glasses out there that are guaranteed not to break and that look cool. They do cost more though. We have a cool pair for ds9 to wear and we then have the ultracheap medicaid tyope glasses for a backup. The cool pair is designed for children and has a 2 year no break guarantee-even on the lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Are you seeing an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? Apparently the guy we normally see in the practice is the optometrist. He has been in practice for over 20 years though. Can you get another opinion from another doctor? I really want him seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist, but the nearest one is 70+ miles away. I would hate to drive that far just to find out that he needs glasses, which I already know, especially since we would have to pay 100% out of pocket for the appointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Apparently the guy we normally see in the practice is the optometrist. He has been in practice for over 20 years though. I really want him seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist, but the nearest one is 70+ miles away. I would hate to drive that far just to find out that he needs glasses, which I already know, especially since we would have to pay 100% out of pocket for the appointment. I would drive that 70 miles and see what else may be happening with his eyes. An opthamologist looks at the eye so differently that I would do it at least once to see what else may be happening. If he says glasses then it isn't a wasted trip just because he is looking at the eyeball, how round it is, and so on. My dd sees both. The opthamologist is way more interested in her retina, the shape of her eye, how the eyes are working together, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Apparently the guy we normally see in the practice is the optometrist. He has been in practice for over 20 years though. I really want him seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist, but the nearest one is 70+ miles away. I would hate to drive that far just to find out that he needs glasses, which I already know, especially since we would have to pay 100% out of pocket for the appointment. Can you call this office and ask the staff what this new doctor usually recommends? Honestly, if I was faced with this decision I would get the glasses and see how he reacts to them. If he has a chance to get used to them, and then always takes them off...you have your answer. If he likes them, keep them. We are using this concept with dd2 (almost 3) with foot othotics. She is in occasional pain due to congenital flat foot and pronation. The orthotics may help with this, but she will have to wear shoes all the time with orthotics/ankle supports. She isn't fond of shoes. She won't be happy the first few weeks, but we hope after she realizes that they make her feet feel better, she will be happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Apparently the guy we normally see in the practice is the optometrist. He has been in practice for over 20 years though. I really want him seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist, but the nearest one is 70+ miles away. I would hate to drive that far just to find out that he needs glasses, which I already know, especially since we would have to pay 100% out of pocket for the appointment. If there is a regular ophthalmologist closer, I'd do that. If there isn't, I'd go to the ped ophtho. I would definitely go to one of those two though. If you get the same story, you can have confidence in your optometrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 I've decided to bite the bullet and do the pediatric ophthalmologist. We now have an appointment next Thursday. I sure hope I can get someone to watch my other kids that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth Yarn Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) I would definitely seek out other opinions on such an important matter! My dad is an optometrist so out of curiosity I'm totally gonna call him and ask his opinion :P He's been in practice about 30 years and seen lots of kiddos :P Just got off the phone with my dad: He said #1 that it is an old wives tale that your eyes will get worse because of wearing glasses and that studies have proven this time and time again. The fact is eyes are going to get worse period and they will do so faster before we reach our maturity. #2 not wearing glasses is actually worse because it can cause a young child's eyes to develop improperly His opinion and advice is to seek another opinion and def a pediatric opto would be perfect. HTH! Edited October 13, 2009 by Earth Yarn wanted to change the title :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I've decided to bite the bullet and do the pediatric ophthalmologist. We now have an appointment next Thursday. I sure hope I can get someone to watch my other kids that day. :thumbup1: Let us know what he/she says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Thanks for the support everyone. Now I just hope I don't get completely conflicting results next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 she had strabismus and couldnot see up close really well, over 12 yrs she has improved a lot with her vision, she can take her glasses off and see faroff but still needs to see upclose. she does not have bifocals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Honestly, if I was faced with this decision I would get the glasses and see how he reacts to them. If he has a chance to get used to them, and then always takes them off...you have your answer. If he likes them, keep them. I didn't get glasses til 3rd grade and once I got them they never left my face. I'd fall asleep in them. Honestly though, that prescription isn't really that strong. He may do fine without them, but you won't know til you get them on him. I wouldn't worry too much about his eyes getting worse just because of the glasses. If nearsightedness runs in the family, there's not a lot you can do to stop it. If your prescription is -3 or -5 you would still need glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 My dad is an optometrist so out of curiosity I'm totally gonna call him and ask his opinion. He said #1 that it is an old wives tale that your eyes will get worse because of wearing glasses and that studies have proven this time and time again. The fact is eyes are going to get worse period and they will do so faster before we reach our maturity. #2 not wearing glasses is actually worse because it can cause a young child's eyes to develop improperly His opinion and advice is to seek another opinion and def a pediatric opto would be perfect. HTH! Thanks for posting this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Definitely get a second opinion from an ophthalmologist. Some vision problems aren't confined to the eye. In some cases, not only does the eye not see properly, but then brain begins to ignore the visual input the eye is providing. If left untreated, a child may end up with vision that is not correctable with lenses, because the brain has stopped paying full attention to that eye (or eyes!). Good luck with the upcoming eye doctor visit. I strongly suggest that you write down your questions beforehand, so that you don't forget to ask them, because neither of our pediatric ophthalmologists have been particularly chatty. They've both been wonderful with how they handle my daughter. They do the exam, write the prescription, and give us basic instructions...but they've only provided education/explanations when I prompt them with questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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