Eye operation to correct squint

[beatofthedrum]

My dd is getting her squint corrected next week. I have been determined not to fuss as it is so minor compared to what so many parents so unfairly have to deal with. However as the date approaches I am feeling a bit upset about the GA and how she will feel/how her eye will look just after. Anyone been through this recently and have any wise words? Dd is 5 btw. TIA

Hi my ds had both eyes corrected a few years ago when he was six. Tbh it was worse for me than him. Made my dh go with him when they put him to sleep. Apart from crying when he woke up was eating toast within a couple of hours and home same day. Didn't need to use much pain relief although getting drops in was quite hard. Hope all goes well for you

Watching with interest - we are doing the prism testing with DD2 this week so that they can have the results for referral to mainland hospital.

I have taught children who have had the operation and I always thought that it was harder on the parents than the child, who seemed to just cope with it fine.

aagh to the idea of eye drops though (is bad enough to get them in for vision tests).

What does the eye actually look like after the operation?

Hi beatofthedrum,

Has your DD had her op yet?

Im an orthoptist and regularly send children to the Ophthalmologist for squint surgery. As Dysgu said it's the parents that are the ones that are stressed/anxious etc not the kids!

The eye can look quite blood/shot tender where the muscle have been operated on. The muscle in your eye are hidden underneath the white part of your eye which is called the sclera. The sclera is cut open to gain access to the muscle. Some poeple think the eyeball is taken out and fiddled with, which is a load of old tosh!!!

They are generally back to there normal self the following day. No swimming pools or gymnastic type sports for at least a week after the operation.

Hope it all goes well

Ds had his done when he was 4. Drops after were worse than op, a nightmare to get in. Eyes weren't bloodshot much. Both eyes were done and 3 muscles operated on.

I've had this done

DCs can get a bit upset when they go to sleep but the staff are fantastic with them

it's also likely they will be upset when they first wake up, the fact they are groggy and it feels a bit like you have sand in your eye is not pleasant but within half an hour or so they will be sitting up having a drink and some toast

the eye looks a bit red and bloodshot and may be slightly over corrected as they can drift again slightly after surgery but you will see the difference immeadiately

drops are a pain in the bum but it's only for a few days and it is a very worthwhile operation

We are still waiting for the prisms to be delivered - had to be ordered and shipped to the island where we live. We were told that the prisms will make DDs vision blurred - is this for the whole three days? Do we need to keep her home or can she go about her usual activities (child minder and pre-school)?

DD is on day four postop. She's also 5. She's bouncing around as if she's fine now, but she does get a bit tired. I'm keeping her off school for 4 days. The worst bit is probably the drops three times a day, it takes lots of bribery to get anywhere near her.

For me, seeing go to sleep was ok, she was v calm, but the waking up was the hardest. She was really distressed, and disorientated, thrashing about and saying she wished she hadn't come etc. after a big syringe of codeine she relaxed right down and came back down to earth.

Her eye was v red, it still is, but each day it fades a little bit more.

Good luck xxx

Hi Dysgu,

Sounds like they are doing a prism adaptation test. Does her eye turn in or out?
Once the prism is fitted it should be left on the whole time so that the brain can get a chance to adapt. The eye Dr will be wanting to know if your DD has the possibility of achieving binocular vision OR wanting to elicit the max angle of the squint... Hope that makes sense

Hi everyone, thanks so much for replies. She had her op on Tuesday and despite all my worries it went very well. No upset at going to sleep or waking up and her eye doesn't look too disturbing though is very sticky on waking up.
She has double vision when wearing her glasses though. Disappears when she takes them off so consultant has advised her to not wear them until her check-up in 2 weeks. The eye drops are a nightmare, hysteria every time and we've to do 4 times a day for 4 weeks!

Aw I'm really pleased its all over for you and she coped well. Ive found the best way to get the eyedrops in is to lie her down on our bed, keep her eyes closed and let my dab it in the corners. As soon as she opens her eyes the drops fall in, but I havent had to touch her eyelids at all. They gave me two bottles of drops, one for each eye. Luckily I'm ambidextrous and I can do both eyes at the same time. As her eyes have settled down she is getting better at the drops, shes realised they dont actually sting.

Many thanks barleysugar.