Lazy eye, squints, glasses etc.....

[cheekyginger]

Im an orthoptist (binocular vision specialist) and a mummy.

I thought i would start this thread in case anyone was wanting any advice, re-assurance, opinions about any eye problems that you wee ones are having.

You can get a reasonably accurate test with a retinoscope at just a few weeks of age (without needing any replies from the child this is about 90% accurate). 100% accuracy depends on the child but around the range of 4-6 years old. If you have high myopia a good understanding of good visual hygiene with your children is important. Lots of outdoor play, regular breaks for near work (iPad's books etc - remember the 20/20/20 rule - every 20 minutes have a 20 second break from close work and look 20 metres away). Inheritance isn't everything - we know now that the environment plays a far greater role than we used to realise.

Thanks vtpro. Would a regular high street optician have a retinoscope?

Gosh that sounds like the opposite of my childhood - I didn't play outdoors much and was glued to my books for hours on end. Interesting that that may have contributed. I did get told at one point that my myopia is down to unusually large eyeballs (?) but guess all the reading didn't help.

We know a lot more about myopia nowadays. Much more myopes are environmental than genetic which is the opposite of what we were taught. I can't over emphasise the need to have the regular breaks from near work and make sure child doesn't hold thing too close (google the Harmon distance for the correct distance).
Oh, and yes, every high street optician should have a retinoscope. Try to find a child friendly one though!

Hi guys I know this post is really old but my son (3 years & 4 months) has had glasses for around 8 months. He's had a lazy eye since birth in his right eye, we found out this week that his vision in his left eye now is so limited that when we put a patch on (we were asked to patch last month but haven't been successful in getting him to keep them on) it's making him completely blind which is why he takes it straight off. We've started the drops this evening for the next 4 weeks. Does anyone know what the likely hood of his eyesight ever coming back in his eye? Forgot to say he's also short sighted which is apparently strange for a child so young - so the orthoptist said ☹️ Really worried & heartbroken mummy here x

Also like to join in DS 14 has had seven prescription changes in last year and a half to begin with they thouht it was to do with a genetic condition he has. But theyre questioning it know got a apptment for next week as complaining he cant see again they said theyd refer him to hospitial if it changed agin im at my wits end with his eyes what could it be?

Hi can anyone help? My 14 month old us just been given glasses for being short sighted. Her prescription is over -6 and has been since about 10 months. Several tests have confirmed this. We have been sent to see the specialist at the hospital? Does anyone know why? We didn't even get told we was being referred. I'm guarding is being she's severely myopic and has a risk of other problems am I right?

At that age they would normally be under the care of an orthoptist at the local hospital. Dd went to the orthoptist from 18 months until the age of 8 at which point we could use a local optician. She still has glasses at age 12.

We have been to the Orthoptist and the other person who does the actual vision check. We go to community clinic for it. The referral is for the consultant at the hospital not the normal people we see

My dd sees the Orthoptist one every two months and saw the consultant opthamologist once so far- he checked the health of her eyes using drops so he could look at the back of her eye. The Orthoptist manages her squint, the optician checks prescription and opthamologist tge health of the eye!

This is an old thread, I know, but are you still available to answer questions?

Our ds 8 has just been told he has very weak convergence and marked exophoria alternating - his reading is pretty good but he finds english a bit hard spellings he has to work hard on. Any experience of this? Any good news stories? Feeling anxious for him as it sounds like a lazy eye. Waiting to see the consultant in a few weeks for more tests / excercises etc

Well...Experience here of an alternating convergent squint that has been quite a journey including surgery on both eyes, (full time) glasses and years of patching. Now as a teen her eyes are considered cosmetically perfect and there is no need of glasses unless tired.

@Heps8 do you mean an alternating exotropia (rather than phoria?) If so, amblyopia is incredibly unlikely. Even with an alternating exotropia at a late onset amblypia is unlikely as both eyes get adequate visual experience and develop normally.

I don't know if you've seen the consultant yet, but it may be just the case that they need some glasses and some convergence exercises.

Hello, I haven't been on here in a long time!
Sounds like your son has convergence (ability to pull eyes inwards) weakness exophoria (Natural drift of the eyes outwards, when one eye is covered). Exercises can be very effective at improving convergence when done correctly.
This is weak muscles and completely separate from a "lazy eye". Nothing to be anxious about, just follow the advice from the practitioner that you see 😁

Helloooo cheekyginger!! I was first on this thread TWELVE years ago with my 4 year old DD. She’s nearly 17 now.

I saw that someone revived this thread and wondered if you’d reappear and here you are! I remember you’d just gone back to work after maternity leave when we last communicated. You were/are so knowledgeable and patient. This thread is an example of Mumsnet at its best.

I hope life has treated you well in the intervening years? My DD is well, wears glasses most of the time at school and I haven’t seen her eyes turn in for years but I know that when she gets tired it might go a bit boggly but it’s quite a rare thing these days.

Hope you’re enjoying your job as much as you evidently did all those years ago. You won’t find me under this name but I’m still on here quite a bit - I change my name constantly 😊

Anyway lovely to ‘see’ you again and thanks again for all your advice!

Hi Cartblanche!
Wow, thanks for your lovely message.
Life has been busy. My DS is now 13 and is in High School, and I now have a DD added into the mix, who is now 8 🥰
I still love my job and have even published 2 papers around all the good work we do in Scotland with the pre-school vision screening.

Thanks for taking the time to message and so please to hear your daughter is getting on fine 💕

@cheekyginger I remember reading this thread when my then two year old first developed a squint. I didn't imagine it would still be going all these years later! I've come across it again as I've been searching for info about squints disappearing and was wondering if you could possibly help me please.

DS has worn glasses to correct his squint since he was two. His eye has always turned inwards as soon as he takes his glasses off and he has double vision. He is now 13 and In the last few weeks his squint is going. It's not constant but his eye will now stay straight some of the time and his double vision is improving. This is obviously great but I'm just wondering why this is happening as I thought squints wouldn't resolve themselves?

@SquintGoing children sometimes get a bit less long sighted as they go through puberty which means they won’t squint so much with an accommodative squint.
the eye muscle also thicken during puberty and this could also help to maintain squint control.

@squintgoing As the other poster said. The focusing of your eyes reduces over time. This focussing is known as your accommodation. Accommodation and convergence (inward pulling of the eyes) are closely linked. When your eyes accommodate, they naturally converge.
Now your son is 13 he won't try as hard to focus/accommodate without his glasses. If he leaves his vision blurry his eye will stay straight....when he focuses the eye will squint and he will see double.
He'll need to continue to wear his glasses but you will see the squint less often over time.

Hey, just on the off chance you may come back and see this, my son has just been given a prescription of +2 In one eye and +4 in the other, he has developed a slight squint, which is why I went and got him tested. He may need to do patching, I longsightedness can improve over time and patching is meant to bring them up to the same level? Is this the case? Trying to be hopeful

Patching improves the vision in the affected eye but won't affect the level of long sight. Long sight might improve as your child gets older and the eye grows

@cheekyginger @Karoleann Many thanks for your replies (apologies for slow response!)

Thank you for helping me to understand it. DS tells me that he can now see perfectly without his glasses and it's not out of focus so keeps on not wearing them.