lazy eye

[izyboy]

Hi it appears that DS is significantly shortsighted in one eye (can only read to 2nd line of chart). His other eye is 'making up' the difference. He will probably need specs and patching. He has no squint and some 3d vision. He has just turned 5yrs old. Has anyone got some positive experiences of specs and patching? I am pretty upset atm.

Sorry to hear this, izyboy. I know a lot of MNetters have experience of this, so am sure you'll get some useful advice soon. I had a squint as a child, with patching and specs from 4. It didn't work for me: I have no visible squint, but no 3D vision. That was mainly because I resisted the patch and the specs and my mum didn't make me. It really is worth getting him to comply. I think specs are much lighter and more attractive these days; a number of mums have told me their children really enjoy wearing theirs.

Try not to be upset. Honestly, I can't say it was a big issue for me in childhood or adulthood. (I even managed to go to art school with no 3D vision - though I wouldn't be allowed to fly a plane!)

I didn't have patching as a child, so ended up having to do a long programme of retraining my eye in my thirties; by which time I had a bad squint and an absolutely appalling sense of judging distances (I still wouldn't trust myself to drive, or to cycle in traffic); and it was extremely hard work

so I'd say- go for any treatment you can get now. well worth it.

though there is one advantage in middle age, with having one eye that is shortsighted; I can manage at all distances without glasses, which my contemporaries cannot do

We patched for 3 hours a day, for around 6 months, but that was for a squint.
It worked really well for us- but is hard to fit it in if your child doesn't want to wear it to school- as was my experience!

I don't think that glasses are much of an issue amongst children nowadays- there are lots who wear them.
It really is best to catch these things young and do your best to sort them out- do try to stay positive!

oh i patched
it seems so all encomapssing at the time but even now i can barely remmber how long it was for.
We did a few hours and i did every morning a) so I would remember and B) so he was at nursery so really USING his eyes.

It made a huge difference but in the end he did need glasses ( aged 5) that he looks rather nice in, has trendy rectangular ones.
Obviosuly I would have preferred him not to but you get over it.
He had learned to read to a VERY high standard before this though so although the prescription is strong he was seeing a lot.

dd has had specs since about 18 months (is now 5.5 years) as she is long sighted and also had a squint. She had patching for a fair few months which was to improve the sight in the lazy eye - it started with 2 hours and went down to 1 hour a day as her vision improved. Her squint was still noticeable even with glasses so she had an operation to correct it just before she started school (around 4.5years).

She was a star with the patching and has been great about keeping her glasses on from the start.

Thanks ladies for your experiences. I just feel a bit 'down' about it all. It was a bit of a shock to be honest... I just wonder if we will be able to correct the 'shortighted' eye at all.

sorry shortsighted

I'm just marking this thread as my 15 week old baby has just been diagnosed with a squint - it's not lazy yet and her eyesight is fine. We have to go back to see the doctor in a couple of months and I don't know what to expect.

I'm not surprised you're feeling a bit shocked and low. But it is great your ds is being treated so young - some kids get well into their school years, falling behind etc, before eye problems get treated. I've been paranoid about taking my dd to the optician (first visit at 6 months!) so any problems can get picked up early.

Worst case scenario is that your son ends up like me (though I had additional eye problems that he probably doesn't have) and, you know, it's not so bad! My glasses are very expensive, and I don't drive, and I walk past close friends in the street, but apart from that it's not so bad Even the lack of 3D vision - well, it's all I know, so it seems normal to me. And your son will have access to all kinds of things that weren't an option for me - lightweight glasses, good contact lenses, laser treatment.

I hope I'm not making you feel worse rather than better - I just want to acknowledge that this isn't great news for you right now, but reassure you that this won't scar your son's childhood, or blight his opportunities. Try to stay positive, not least because your son needs you to be positive about (and committed to) the patching process.

I also had a lazy eye that was diagnosed when I was 3. My mum has told me that she was sat there after the eye test all upset that her little daughter would have to wear glasses.
Then a little boy came in who had lost his eye in an accident and my mother felt ashamed for worrying about glasses spoiling her cute dd.
I wore the glasses from age 3 to 9, had patching and drops I think about every 6 months.
Because it was caught early it was 'cured'.
I know you are upset but honestly there are many many things worse than a lazy eye.

I have glasses with different lenses and a prism in them- when I wear them I see well and do not have a squint

I do not have much in the way of 3D vision, but this is because it was not corrected in time

and by the time you get to my age, there are definite advantages in having one shortsighted eye: I can do close-up work that dh can't even see with his reading glasses

ime glasses are no social stigma these days: my nephew's had them since he was 5 and dd has them, never had any problems