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Children's health

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Original poster

How to wear an eyepatch for 'lazy' eye? Any opticians out there?

23 replies

MrsBigD · 27/05/2009 21:52

DD (7) just got glasses and needs patch her good eye for 3 h a day. She's complainign that the patch hurts her eye and I was wondering whether it's good enough to just stick it on the glasses themselves?

I will also visit an optition this afternoon but thought maybe sosmebody is online now and knows?

TIA

OP posts:

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IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 27/05/2009 22:50

DD had a patch for a lazy eye but as she has excema wasn't given sticky ones. They gave her felt patches that fitted over the lense of her glasses covering the good eye.

I am not sure that putting the patch on the glasses works as the felt patches have bits on the side that go up the leg towards the temple to stop the wearer being able to see out the side of their glasses as well and cover right into the nose so the vision all around the eye is blocked out if that makes any sense. The sticky patches would only cover the vision looking straight ahead not out to the side.

If you google images felt eye patches lazy eye you will see pics of what I mean.

lucykate · 27/05/2009 22:58

my dd did patching for 9 months, 2 hours a day. she hated the sticky patches. i wouldn't bother trying to stick the patch on the lense, they can just peer round it.

if you are any good at sewing, or know someone who is, in desperation i designed a felt patch which we used (i'm a textile designer anyway, seemed like a daft idea not to try and put something together for her at the time)

link here

patching does work, it had a massive effect on improving my dd's weaker eye. she went from a 9 line difference in vision to a 1 line difference.

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 27/05/2009 23:04

Ooooh I never knew taht website belongs to a m'netter was just poking through my favourites for that pattern for the OP.
I love your site and I made that patch for dd very same and she loved it only one she wore.

ooops sound a bit gushy and over excited ...sorry.

pania · 27/05/2009 23:58

I'm not an optician but I have read that atropine eyedrops are just as effective as patches for lazy eye.. has your dd's eye doctor discussed them with you?

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/05/2009 09:16

One of the reasons we were not recommended eyedrops was that once they are in they're in so the vision is distorted for the length of time it takes them to wear off rather than the fixed generally short time a day that the child wears the patch.
They are not generally used unless there is a huge issue.

Original poster

MrsBigD · 28/05/2009 11:31

thanks everybody, thought as much re the 'peering around' if just sticking on the glasses...

Lucykate, had a look at your eye patch pattern unfortunately I am extremely sewing-challenged, and alread got lost at 'Pin together the 2 edges of the center slit, trapping the folded over arm holder loop in between, and sew.' LOL might give it a try anyhow as dd was complaining that the stickon hurts her eye and is itchy.

another problem now is that alledgedly kids were teasing her at lunchtime (telling her she looks stupid) and now she doesn't want to wear the glasses ... argh! I just told her to tell them that they are the stupid ones because she looks absolutely fab (they actually do suit her!) and they're just jealouse.

OP posts:

smudgethepuppydog · 28/05/2009 13:28

If she's patching for 3 hours a day is it possible to just do it at home once she's in from school?

Original poster

MrsBigD · 28/05/2009 14:07

the patching yes, and that's not the isssue. she's supposed to wear her glasses most of the time so that her left eye gets used to seeing clearly. I'm going to have a chat with the teacher tomorrow to keep an eye on what's going on. They are very strict re teasing/bullying etc. but I think it's also a case of the novelty effect has worn off raather quickly

OP posts:

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/05/2009 14:27

I will put money on the fact that the otehr kids are jealous tbh.
DD has had her glasses for a few years now so nobody remembers her any different but there is a lot of glasses envy especially when she got her first pair of pink plascit frames

Original poster

MrsBigD · 28/05/2009 14:59

LOL Ineedacleaner... dd's glasses are light purple on one side and red on the other, and she's got a little golden chain to go with it so if they fall they don't get crushed on the floor... very trendy

OP posts:

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/05/2009 15:20

She sounds very glam DD had a chain for a while but she kept playing with it and it broke i've never bothered since.
How does your dd ike wearing them? Like I said my dd was young so doesn't remember not having them.
Although was looking at her just now getting changed after school and she has a skiers tan you can see the perfect imprint of her glasses in white bits from playing out.

Original poster

MrsBigD · 29/05/2009 11:40

Ineedacleaner... dd is fine now, as the teacher had a chat with her about the teasers and to report then and it of course helped that one of her fav boys in class told her that she looks cute .

I have spent a couple of hours today producing 2 eyepatchs (one in school colours LOL and one as per dd's instructions re design) with the extremely valuable template Lucykate's so kindly shared. I am rather proud of myself as I class myself as not particularily good in the sewing department; so the stitching isn't perfect but dd LOVES them! Thank you LucyKate!!!

OP posts:

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 29/05/2009 12:25

The patter is Fab isn't it? I make it to the exact pattern because DD like the colours and flower.
It is sooo easy to isn't it?

Glad she is getting on better now, bet she looks gorgeous did you not think she looked suddenly very grown up when she first got the glasses?

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 29/05/2009 12:25

The patter is Fab isn't it? I make it to the exact pattern because DD like the colours and flower.
It is sooo easy to isn't it?

Glad she is getting on better now, bet she looks gorgeous did you not think she looked suddenly very grown up when she first got the glasses?

Original poster

MrsBigD · 02/06/2009 01:23

yes she did suddenly look like a big girl ;). We now have hit another hurdle in that she doesn't want to wear the lovingly made felt patches either... I can see another battle of wills coming up...

OP posts:

jabberwocky · 02/06/2009 03:56

MrsBigD, there was a study recently on using atropine just over the weekend. If all else fails, you can ask your dr about doing that.

FWIW, all of my patients complain about their patches! Is she doing any other exercises along with the patching?

jabberwocky · 03/06/2009 03:14

Someone at the office mentioned this website for patches today.

jabberwocky · 03/06/2009 03:14

Someone at the office mentioned this website for patches today.

morocco · 05/06/2009 22:49

you just ask for a patch that slips on the glasses instead

honest it's that easy

no need to get the sewing maching out!

FromGirders · 05/06/2009 22:55

Our hospital gave us material patches too. But I love the pattern!

FromGirders · 05/06/2009 22:57

P - ds wore his patch for 18 months, and the difference it made to his sight in the lazy eye is quite remarkable. He has two functional eyes now .

UniS · 07/06/2009 20:03

My brother used a patch for a while, mum cut part of the sticky away so they didn't stick to his eye brow, he complained a lot less after that.
He didn't wear glasses so no option of using a glasses based patch.

goinslowlymad · 08/06/2009 20:30

I agree fromgirders - my ds went from being blind in one eye to having almost equal vision in both eyes!
You must find a way for her to do the patching. It really does work.
Good luck!!!
(we had the felt slip-on patches over the glasses)

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