DD still thinks she can't see

[KatyMac]

She obviously can, except when you tell her she can then she can't

She also can't when she is somewhere new (like on holiday or a new classroom?)

She can't read (not even things she really wants to read) but she can write - reasonably well, not on the lines and the spacing is a bit do-lally

Emotionally she is almost her normal self lots of ups & downs, strops, tempers and normal preteen/teenage stuff

She has a hospital appointment I am going to have to drag her to (kicking & screaming) & a psychologist appointment she is going to to tell them they are 'all wrong'

But with school starting next week I can't help but wonder how it's all going to work

Oh dear. That sounds very difficult for you all.

If she can see, but then can't if she is told that she can, is it possible to avoid all mention of her sight? It would take the pressure off.

Did you get a result from DLA?

Yes - we got middle rate care & low rate mobility (I think that's what it's called)

But I thought it was all better & got a 'change of circumstance' form & then of course it isn't - so I am saving it up to send it back when I have completed the new form later this week

I'm dreading the hospital

& I'm scare of what happens when she goes back to school

All support was withdrawn after the professionals meeting basically because of the consultant (never could see how an opthalmologist could diagnose a psychological condition)

Psychological issues need proper school support even more than physical ones. Hopefully the slowdown in progress might just be fear of the new term.

With a bit of luck, the psych could be your biggest ally in getting her the right help in school. Otherwise the teachers or other kids may inadvertantly reinforce the problem, and make it last longer than it needs to.

A special school for moderate or severe emotional / behavioral problems would cost the LA a fortune... so averting deterioration might just be in their interests.

Oh I do hope they are supportive, I really do

She has had a tough year

Then she confuses me by walking out of a restaurant & walking into a lamp-post

"never could see how an opthalmologist could diagnose a psychological condition"

Functional Visual Loss (sometimes known as a Conversion Disorder in the psychology literature) is not quite a diagnosis of exclusion but it would be an ophthalmologist who is able to exclude all organic causes of visual symptoms.

An ophthalmologist is also best placed to identify paradoxical patterns of symptoms which do not fit with the way the visual system works , which again points to a non-organic problem.

After ruling out organic disease, FVL is by far the most likely diagnosis.

But DD has had 2 distinct and different periods - they can't both be the 'same' illness; they were very different with one symptom similar

I don't argue that now she has psychological vision loss; but what she had before was very different

& the difference was visible to anyone who saw her during both periods

"they can't both be the 'same' illness"

I don't think this can be as definitive as you are making out.
All of the following is from information taken from the few threads you've been discussing this on.

If the 1st episode was an organic event, it wasn't identified at the time and left no evidence that anything had occurred.

The list of possible disorders that behave like that are vanishingly small.
Especially taking into account the range and type of investigations that were done.

In addition, FVL is a highly variable condition. It can have many contributing factors (which may influence both factors of the disorder and other symptoms that are present) and can present in a wide variety of ways.

It also tends to have time scale which would comfortably encompass both events.

None of this makes the symptoms any less real or distressing.
But failing to recognise this likelihood doesn't seem beneficial.

Oh I don't know - I am looking forward to this being history; you know when we talk about the year when......