Hi. This is my first post so hopefully I’ve done this right. I am at a complete loss and really need some advice.
When my son was 2 I noticed that his eyes seemed to be very sensitive to the light. When the sun was in his eyes he would cry hysterically, and even turning the lights on in the house would make him cry. Over time this has only gotten worse, once he started talking he started telling me constantly his eyes were hurting (we were already in the process of getting this checked out at this stage), bright lights really made his eyes hurt and he would constantly rub them.
I have ever since been in a constant battle to get to the bottom of this; getting passed between the opticians and the doctors who couldn’t find anything wrong. We finally got referred to the eye hospital where my son had to go through so many tests (getting dye in his eye etc) it was an absolutely horrendous day because of how sensitive his eyes were.
I should also add that since he has had all these tests/ eye drops prescribed etc. he is absolutely traumatised by the whole experience. To the point where he refuses to tell me his eyes are hurting (when I can clearly see they are bothering him), i can’t even mention the word ‘eyes’ around him anymore, as soon as any body mentions eyes he starts rubbing his eyes instantly, they start watering and really bother him. So I have absolutely no idea if this is now psychological as well as an underlying problem. after numerous tests at the hospital they explained his eyes were very inflamed due to some kind of conjunctivitis. I questioned this as this has been an issue for 2 years now and the main issue is light sensitivity. They explained that the infection would cause light sensitivity but I was still really unsure. They have prescribed 2 types of eye drops, which both need to be taken 3 times a day for 12 weeks! The issue is my son is so traumatised by everything that’s gone on he gets absolutely hysterical, to the point where I genuinely can’t calm him down, when he needs the eye drops. He runs away, cries hysterically, hits me away if I try to go anywhere near him, the whole thing was so draining for both of us. I have tried so many methods, doing it with his eyes closed as the doctor recommended, offered pocket money (I absolutely don’t want to bribe him this was a last resort 🙈) I even let him put them in my eyes 😆 to show him that it really wasn’t bad but he is not having it. I persevered so much but the fact that he needs them 3x a day for 12 weeks was just too much I couldn’t put him through it any more I felt like an awful parent!
we had a follow up appointment where I explained he absolutely will not take the eye drops no matter what I did. They basically told me there’s nothing else they can do, he must take the eye drops and wrote me another prescription.
we have a follow up appointment in a couple weeks and I really just feel lost at this point. I feel like they really just don’t understand how hard it is to get him to do this and how much it’s affecting him. He is showing really strong signs of adhd and has done from a young age, I’m currently working with his school to get him an assessment. He gets frustrated and lashes out very easily, he is the sweetest most loving boy I’ve ever met but he really struggles with anger when he is triggered. He also has a lot of sensory issues with food and clothing so I think the eye drops could be part of this. My
however I’m just worried that because he’s not diagnosed they won’t take me seriously and they think I’m being dramatic about him not liking them. This has gone on for years now and I honestly feel helpless, I don’t want my son to be suffering with this constantly, but I also don’t want to traumatise him any more with 12 weeks of eye drops.
is there any advice any one can give me on how to proceed with the doctors on this ?
and has anyone experienced this issue? I’ve searched everywhere online and can’t find anything. Any advice would be really appreciated, sorry for the long post!