Orthoptist and squint query

[HoneySocks]

Hi all
my dd who is 3 has a slight squint just for the last few weeks - the gp couldnt see it but referred her to the orthoptist about a week ago. i also took her to the optician who said that she may prob need glasses and is doing the eye drops test on monday with her and will give her glasses then.
all this is new to me - no glasses in my family at all so have couple of queries if you please!

1. have been told may be a few months to wait to see orthoptist - what will the orthoptist do that the optician cannot? we can pay for her to be seen privately if that is a benefit?privatly she will be seen next week

2.what is eye drops test like - any hints or tips?
3.she has such a mild sqint - will she have glasses for long?
any other hints/ tips/info very gratefully receieved - feel bit worried for her, thank you

[amazonianwoman]

Glad it went OK, and that your DD is getting used to the glasses.

It is a shock isn't it? I don't know why I feel upset that DS will probably need glasses. I'm very short sighted (wear contact lenses, glasses occasionally) and DH is very long sighted (wears glasses and looks better with them than without them!) but it's still upsetting when you realise that your child needs them

Still waiting for the orthoptist's appointment date

And constantly being told we're doing the right thing getting them sorted quickly...

[HoneySocks]

the test was ok but not very nice - she is mid long sighted and does have mild squint sometimes. we got her glasses yesterday and just getting used to it all now - was very tearful yesterday as people were so sweet about her glasses, i guess i found it a shock. feels a bit better today and dd seems to be getting used to having them on.
glad to hear about your appt beign so soon, feels better to get on with it all i think

[amazonianwoman]

Honeysocks - how did the eye drops test go?

[mrsruffallo]

Good luck amazon, I hope all goes well with the orthoptist
And please don't google again

[amazonianwoman]

Saw optician this morning (DS was very well behaved thankfully) He does have quite a severe angle squint, so we've been referred to the orthoptist, which should take less than 2 weeks

[Seona1973]

I thought dd's squint had come on suddenly at around 18 months but when I looked at some of her earlier photos she squinted in some of them too so it wasnt as sudden as it seemed.

[HoneySocks]

amazonian woman my dd squint also only came on a few weeks ago and she is 3.5 yrs old,also seemed to come on overnight but i was thinking that i prob had not noticed it very much as it normally is when she is tired , so she is lolling round sort of half asleep not looking me in the eye iyswim.

[francagoestohollywood]

Squint is often hereditary. I get it from my dad

[amazonianwoman]

Oh, and thanks for your messages

[amazonianwoman]

Have just done some searching on Mumsnet and now feeling much calmer. There seems to be a lot of instances of young children literally appearing to develop a squint virtually overnight.

MN saves the day again The Font Of All Knowledge.

[mrsruffallo]

I won't ask waht is more sinister as I don't really want to know!
Honestly though, it is probably a squint in which case there are many treatment options for you.
I think it is a little unnerving, but you soon get used to it
Best of luck

[amazonianwoman]

I know, I'm so annoyed at myself - I managed to resist for 2 whole days! That's ages for me!

I spoke to a good optician this morning - she said it's quicker to see her then get referred than to go to GP first. The optician is in some shared care system with opthalmologists/orthoptists. So we're seeing her this Saturday.

I just can't come to terms with the fact that his eyes definitely looked completely "normal" (don't like to use that word, but can't think how else to describe it) at the weekend, but now is left is so obviously squinting inwards, virtually all the time

Am so hoping that it is "just" a normal childhood squint and not something much more sinister.

[mrsruffallo]

Don't google!
Just make an appt with your GP tomorrow
IME it seems sudden- because by the time you notice it it is established iyswim.
It is often caused by long sightedness, but I don't think this is always the case.

Let us know what the GP says

[amazonianwoman]

Oh no, I've just googled sudden onset squint, I knew I shouldn't have

Now I'm panicking that it's a sign of something much worse.

Did your DD seems to develop her squint gradually? Or did you suddenly notice it? DS was fine last weekend MIL was a paediatrician and said she would've noticed something (she was with us all weekend) I'm just so worried that he seems to have developed an almost permanent squint in just 2 days

[Seona1973]

a squint is where the eye turns. A lazy eye is where one eye is not working as well as the other i.e. the vision is worse in one eye. DD's left eye was lazy but also squinted so she had patching treatment to improve the sight in her left eye and also the operation to improve the squint itself. DD had glasses from just over 18 months (around the age I noticed her squinting) and was great at keeping them on and was also a star with the patching treatment.

[amazonianwoman]

Can I just ask - is a squint where the eye turns inward? Or is that a lazy eye?

I noticed just on Tuesday that DS's left eye is turning noticeably inward when the other is looking straight. It was only obvious a couple of times on Tuesday, but already by today it seems to be almost permanent. He looks really strange

We have an optician's appointment on Saturday, and I'm desperately trying not to google any symptoms/diagnoses, but I'm quite worried

He was 2 in March, and his eyes appeared completely fine until Tuesday. I'm surprised how rapidly the left one has changed! Lots of people have noticed, so it's not just my paranoia. He is very tired this week (4 missed naps, 2 late nights cos we've been away) which I know can make things more pronounced.

I'm very short-sighted (but no squint/lazy eye) and DH is very long-sighted. I kind of hoped we'd cancel each other out and have kids with 20:20 vision

All I can think of (well, I'm worrying about all sorts of things..) is how on earth I'll get him to keep glasses on...

Honeysocks sorry to hijack, I hope the eye drop test on Monday isn't too stressful xx

[HoneySocks]

hi all thank you for your kind replies - am not sure of the exact time to wait for the orthoptist, just working on rough estimate from the optician. hopefully it will be sooner as would like to get on with it all i guess.
think i will stay in the nhs system, thanks t your replies, seems an excellent service.
will prob post again on monday after eye drops test with yet more worries!

[CMOTdibbler]

I know - but I have an unstable squint (ie, I can pull it in if I concentrate, but it's hard to do and I can't sustain it) so it's harder to diagnose. Mum spent a lot of time telling people I squinted (heaven only knows that she spent her life at the opticians/opthamologist as the whole family have had eye surgery with the same consultant for different things), but it went unnoticed. And then the day came when the school nurse did eye tests and found I couldnt read anything on the chart with my left eye...

When I took DS to the opthamologist, the consultant got very excited and wanted me to have more surgery. Since prisms sort it out well, and I'm short sighted (plus astigmatism), I don't really see any benefit

[francagoestohollywood]

Same here cmot. I can't play any sport that involves catching a ball. Or drive at night.

[francagoestohollywood]

Squinters of the world unite!!!

That's pretty unusual CMOT. I have funny pics of me with an impressive squint at 8 months already. I started to wear glasses when I was one

Yes, I had binocular vision after the op. But when I became short sighted I started to use my stronger eye more than the weak one. My orthoptist (yes, she still works after 37 yrs) suggests to have an operation again to correct it for good, but I'm

[CMOTdibbler]

Yes, I have binocular vision although it is slightly odd - but have complicating factors that probably account for that. I drive, ride a motorbike etc without any problems, but find tennis/babminton difficult

[CMOTdibbler]

Nice to meet someone else - there aren't many with double vision out there. I have a fantastic optician now who really understands double vision, and it's made a real difference.

I remember well all the visits to the orthoptist and the exercises - but as I didn't start squinting till late I was an oddity

[mrsruffallo]

Did you have binocular vision afterwards?

[francagoestohollywood]

I must say that after the operation my vision was perfect, and the squint gone.

But it came back when I was 12 and started to get short sighted only in one eye