twacademy2010 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 About six months ago I noticed ds (4) eyes started looking a little strange. Sometimes one of his eyes would look like it was looking more in towards his nose... like he was looking at something other than me. I pointed it out to dh, bt dh said not to make a big deal about it... he didnt think it was a problem. Well, now it happens a LOT. My 8 yo has noticed and started asking why his eyes look weird. It isnt just one eye. They both do it. So I am getting paranoid bc I am just the type who worries until I get answers from a doc, but since we cant call for an appt yet, I wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with this? He had his eyes checked in Nov but they didnt see snything and I didnt mention his eyes bc they werent as bad then. There is a history of lazy eye on my father's side of the family and dh has to wear glasses. Sorry for typos - Im trying to type on phone with kids crawlig on me :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I don't think your overreacting. I would take him in the sooner the better. My son had a lazy eye and started wearing glasses and an eye patch in kindergarten. I think he had his eye patched for 1 1/2 years and he still wears glasses. Its not a big deal but the sooner the treat it the better/quicker the problem can be fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HayesW Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 My DS, when hwe was almost 4, did the same thing. He needed reading glasses. In just a year, his eyes have gotten much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Take him now, to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Your regular pediatrician should be able to give you a referral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 All four of my children have strabismus. Basically that just means they have eye crossing issues. If it goes untreated, in a worst case scenario, a child can lose vision in one eye. Also, since your son is a bit older it is very important to get treatment now. Much of the eye development happens before they are 9. That means a lot of problems can be corrected. Many pediatricians don't pick up on problems that a pediatric ophthamologist will see. Trust your momma intuition. Also, it definitely runs in families. My husband's aunt is the only other person in the family that we know who has strabismus. It surprised me that the connection can be that far removed. God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 All four of my children have strabismus. Basically that just means they have eye crossing issues. If it goes untreated, in a worst case scenario, a child can lose vision in one eye. Also, since your son is a bit older it is very important to get treatment now. Much of the eye development happens before they are 9. That means a lot of problems can be corrected. Many pediatricians don't pick up on problems that a pediatric ophthamologist will see. Trust your momma intuition. Also, it definitely runs in families. My husband's aunt is the only other person in the family that we know who has strabismus. It surprised me that the connection can be that far removed. God Bless, Elise in NC :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: My now-13 yo had this same issue when he was 4. He was in glasses and had some patching. But, now, he doesn't need glasses! Definitely go in to a peed ophthalmologist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 You only have one set of eyes so they are worth protecting! Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Both eyes? That sounds like my daughter. Get him in to a pediatric ophthalmologist asap. Was he a preemie? Both of my older daughter's eyes wandered, but it was very subtle, and only truly obvious when she was tired or sick. I was the only one who noticed it, though it seemed obvious in retrospect when I looked at photographs. Her eyes were sometimes misaligned in photos, especially in candid shots. The only reason I insisted she be seen right away was that one of our neighbors had made it her personal crusade to educate acquaintances about the signs of amblyopia in kids. As a child, her (single) wandering eye wasn't treated in time to prevent loss of vision in that eye. My daughter's diagnosis was bilateral refractive amblyopia, secondary to severe astigmatism. In plainer English, this means that abnormally curved corneas or lenses are causing her to have very poor vision in both eyes; that's the astigmatism. Because of the vision problem, her brain was also beginning to ignore the input from both eyes, because the visual data wasn't reliable enough for her brain to trust; that's the amblyopia part. If left untreated, this ignoring would become irreversible, and her vision would be blurry even with glasses. Treatment with corrective lenses and/or eyedrops or patching (if one eye is dominant) should begin as soon as possible. The earlier treatment begins, the more likely the amblyopia will resolve. My daughter got her first pair of glasses a month before her 3rd birthday, and she's done great with them. She never needed patching, because her brain was ignoring both eyes equally. She will always need corrective lenses, unless she elects to undergo corrective surgery as an adult, and she still sees a pediatric ophthalmologist 1-2 times per year, but her diagnosis of amblyopia seems to be resolved. Edited January 30, 2011 by jplain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Take him now, to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Your regular pediatrician should be able to give you a referral. :iagree: My DD wears glasses and patches everyday to fix a turned eye. Don't delay this, the sooner the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 My daughter is the same. Both eyes are bad, but one is far worse than the other, so we do drops. She's been in glasses since she was 18 months old. The longer it goes untreated, the worse the damage. A mom at my school told me that if the doctors tell you it's time for surgery, to go ahead and do it. She didn't want her son undergoing surgery so young, so she waited until he was older and he lost much depth perception in the bad eye that can't be fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twacademy2010 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. I will call his pediatrician on Monday for a referral. I hope my waiting hasnt caused too much damage :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I waited too because I was 2nd guessing what I saw. My dd had one that did the same. She has had glasses since September and the problem goes away with them. I don't think you did any damage. If you search this forum for pediatric opthamologist you will find a thread I started when I was having concerns as well. The thread has lots of info from these wonderful ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I was the only one who noticed it, though it seemed obvious in retrospect when I looked at photographs. Her eyes were sometimes misaligned in photos, especially in candid shots. This is a great idea! Take lots of pics starting now, so if it "looks fine" at the dr's, you can show him what you've been seeing. You might even want to keep him up late so you can get pics of the eyes when sleepy/sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. I will call his pediatrician on Monday for a referral. I hope my waiting hasnt caused too much damage :( Now, now, none of that mama guilt, it's not a good use of your energy! (Trust me, I wasted a lot of emotional energy this way over the same issue. It is NOT productive, so just move along, dear one!) Taking pictures with you is a terrific idea. Also, start now to make a list of when you see the drift, which eye it is, which direction it goes (inward or outward), time of day, and any other pertinent circumstances (ie, any meds on board, child sleepy, child going through a growth spurt, etc). The doc will do an exam, during which he will attempt to break down the convergence of the eyes. If he cannot observe it first hand, he may ask you to come back in a few months. Having data to bring in and share may help the doc determine a course of action specific to your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Now, now, none of that mama guilt, it's not a good use of your energy! :iagree: Instead, pat yourself on the back for being observant and following up on your observations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. I will call his pediatrician on Monday for a referral. I hope my waiting hasnt caused too much damage :( Don't beat yourself up! It sounds exactly like strabismus to me, too. My DH didn't see our son's strabismus, either, but I kept insisting that it was there. We tried glasses but they didn't help, so he had to have surgery. He was only 2 1/2! Thankfully it fixed the problem, and now he only has a minor issue called "monofixation syndrome" left behind. It affects his coordination a bit, but his vision otherwise is 20/20. And his eyes don't cross. I can't argue with that outcome at all. Keep us posted! You're doing the right thing! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Sounds like you are doing the right thing- trusting your intuition about what you are noticing. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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