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Original poster

Should my DD have this operation??

60 replies

CaptainDippy · 29/09/2007 07:20

My 3.7 year old DD has a squint. It is not very pronounced, but it is definitely 'there', iykwim. It is particularly bad when she is tired and the opthamologist at the hospital says it measures worse than it actually looks. It always shows up in photographs taken of her - that is how I first discovered she had it. The squint is not affecting her eyesight. She is supposed to be going in for an operation to correct it on Thursday morning (4th Oct) and I am having 2nd thoughts ........

Having it corrected would be for purely cosmetic reasons - It is not that DH & I want her to look "perfect" in photographs or anything; just that we are worried she might come home from school when she is older and be upset because she is being bullied for having wonky eyes or that it might become an issue for her when she is older, particularly as a girl (body image etc).

We would rather she had the operation while she is still too young to remember it clearly if that makes any sort of sense!!? We figure it would be much more traumatic putting a 7/8 year old through an operation than a 3.5 yr old.

I'm I a cruel, mean mummy or am I right for her to have the op at the present time??

The operation would be on both of her eyes and would be day surgery. Recovery time could be anything up to a week-ish .....

OP posts:
RosyBelle · 01/10/2007 17:36

Hi CD... DD would luv the picture and will do one back... she is not the greatest artist though .

I will email you when I get a minute - have been to work today so not much time.

She was 4 on 27th Dec so is nearly 5... day after Boxing Day!! The paediatric nurse rang today to do DD's pre-assessment over the phone... just lots of Yes/No questions and said that she won't go to theatre in a gown - and to take some shorts & T-shirt so she can wear that to theatre... so thats good. Nothing too scary for her!

Am abit worried about all these sore eyes stories... don't like to think of her in pain & its so close now.

We are not due to have operation til 2pm ish so on the way to hospital we are going to get her a new doll (Betty Spagetti seems favourite at the mo!) so she can take her in and keep her with her all day.

Email you soon....

Rosy
xx

NAB3 · 01/10/2007 17:42

I had this op when I was 6 so 29 years ago. I would definitely say do it now, much easier than when older. I was meant to have another done at 16 but it didn't happen. I rarely squint now, usually when shattered but it corrects itself v quickly. I wear glasses for reading, tv, computer.

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 01/10/2007 18:56

Thank you NAB

My DD's artwork ain't much cop either - mainly consists of scribbles; but she is getting there with her people, bless .... She's v.excited about doing this drawing for your DD though, Rosy! Shorts & T-Shirts for theatre here too, which is good.

I'm nervous too - especially about the pain and about the needles etc - So scared she is going to freak out / screaming etc. Fortunately, DH is coming with me and he'll go with her when they put her out etc (he did when she had a hernia op at 18m) Are you going alone? Do you have any other children? MIL is coming to look after other 2 DD's; then taking DD2 to nursery and taking DD3 for a walk til we are ready to collect her - logistical nightmare as per usual .....

OP posts:
Original poster
CaptainDippy · 01/10/2007 18:58

Good idea about the doll, BTW, think we'll find something special for DD to take with her ...... she's more excited about the "red sweeties" (she specified that they had to be "only red" ) we've promised her after the op ..... ....

OP posts:
BracingAir · 01/10/2007 20:37

just to add, I wish I had it done when I was a kid. Cant bear seeing myself without glasses as then i still have a squint.

I cant apaarantly see 3-d. Not quite sure what everyone else is seeing that i cant!

At UCL they put the red-and-green glasses on my dd and showed her a 3-d picture. She immeadiately reached forward for the 'flower'. When I looked thru the glasses, all i could see was the mosaic. She was 1 at the time.

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 02/10/2007 08:08

Poor thing, BA Funny isn't it, this 3D thing!!? I never knew about it til you lot starting mentioning it!! Really must ask them to test DD1 when she goes in on Thursday....

OP posts:
RosyBelle · 02/10/2007 20:37

Hi Captain - DD has the 3D check. They put some huge 3D red & green glasses on top of her glasses and show her pictures of circles I can't see... then she is asked to pick out the slice of cake from the circle. She gets them all right so this is why they think her 3D vision will return with the surgery.

I have emailed you at the yahoo address... did you get it??
Only 2 days to go - stay calm!! Have everything crossed for you but am sure you don't need it

Rosy
xxx

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 02/10/2007 21:39

That's good - the glasses sound very cool!

No, I didn't get an email Just to confirm, it is:

captain_dippy "at" yahoo "dot" co "dot" uk

Try again!

Am very nervous ...... Eeeeek!

OP posts:
RosyBelle · 03/10/2007 11:07

Hi Captain

This is how I am reading it:
[email protected]

If not then my email is:

[email protected]

R
xx

Indiechick · 03/10/2007 11:19

Friends dd had this op at 3.5yrs and hardly noticed she'd been in hospital. They recover so much quicker when they're little.

Twigaletto · 03/10/2007 11:22

yes I think she should have the operation now

but I think its difficult to knowingly send your child for an operation

RosyBelle · 03/10/2007 11:23

Thanks Indie - did she have sore eyes after?? Did it work...? Have got so used to seeing the squint I can't imagine what it looks like without! Can you tell its not quite right or does it look completley normal?
Am vvv nervous too now Captain
xx

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 11:27

Thank you Indie - ditto to Rosy's Q's and thank you Twig - know I am making the right choice, but so very hard to see her go through this!

OP posts:
Twigaletto · 03/10/2007 11:31

oh I know how you feel .. DS will be having a GA in a month or so and having extractions and caps all for the sake of his future dental health when his adult teeth come through in about 5 years ..

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 11:34

Oh poor DS Twig!! What is wroong with his teeth (if it's not too rude to ask?) xxx

OP posts:
Elk · 03/10/2007 11:40

Hi,
My dd had this op in Jan this year on both eyes. (she was 3.9yrs)
It was done as day surgery. We went in at 8am, the op was done at 9am and we were home by 1pm. She did cry as she came round from the anasthetic but apart from that she was fine. Her eyes weren't bandaged at all.

At 2.30 pm I was telling her off for doing forward rolls off the sofa and she only had 4 days off nursery.

We kept her well dosed with calpol for the first few days and she was really good about not rubbing her eyes. The worst bit was putting drops in her eyes four times a day for two weeks afterwards.

HTH

Piffle · 03/10/2007 11:45

DD has a squint and low eyelids, as well as serious visual problems we are told that to fix either surgically would be for purely cosmetic reasons so we are leaving it up to dd when she is ready
FWIW hospital is actually easier with older kids IME

francagoestohollywood · 03/10/2007 11:53

I had a squint and was operated at 4 in 1974. I don't think the operation is done purely for cosmetical reasons. Often the eye with the squint is not "used" and you lose sight from it. I don't know how bad your dd's squint is, but I was operated to get a better eyesight, and to avoid loosing "depth" and sight from the eye I didn't use

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 11:53

Interesting perspective Piffle, thank you for that ..... Hmmmmmmm ......

Thank you Elk - that helps loads and loads! I've provisionally kept DD off nursery / Pre-School for 4/5 days and I was going to see how it goes from there; so sounds good to me (although I guess all children are different.) Was she ok going into theatre with the cannular / needles etc etc? DH is taking her in to have the GA (he did last time she had an op); I am just so worried she'll be terified when she see the needles etc and freak out ..... she was too young to understand last time.

OP posts:
Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 11:54

Thank you Franc! I love MN!!

OP posts:
francagoestohollywood · 03/10/2007 11:56

(but btw I still fail the "flower" test, like Bracingair. It si tricky, isn't it, to make a decision....

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 12:01
Hmm
OP posts:
francagoestohollywood · 03/10/2007 12:06

sorry Captain i didn't mean to raise doubts! My operation was a complete success until I was 12, when I started to become short-sighted just from one eye, which made things difficult (I stopped using it and I lost the depth thing). I've been offered another operation (in Italy) for ages, but can't find the time!

Original poster
CaptainDippy · 03/10/2007 12:11

No it is fine, it is just this 3D thing keeps coming up and it isn't something the hospital have said much about, so I'll have to quiz them about it tomorrow!

OP posts:
Piffle · 03/10/2007 12:13

with dd they are fairrly sure that lenses will help correct her sight and that as sight continues to develop until age 8 they will make a final decision then (she is 5 this month)
she has no depth perception, which makes life very tough but tbh the squint is the least of her problems...

she may still need the squint surgery in the future but to do it now they say would be cosmetic
FWIW it is only really bad when her glasses are off or when really tired or ill.

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