When I first realized I was going to be having preemies, I was naturally super scared. Besides all their obvious issues that would more than likely occur, I was very worried about their eyes.
I was born with a lazy eye and am legally blind in my right eye. It was something I knew I needed to check as soon as I had kids. I wanted to make sure the same thing that happened to me was avoided with them. When I was younger there weren’t a lot of options and when we realized we could have done something, it was too late.
We were told that if we caught it before the age of 1, they could try and do a surgery that would correct the issue and there would be no lazy eye anymore.
Once the girls were born, I immediately wanted it to get checked out. We took them to the children’s hospital near us and had their eyes checked. The girls both came back negative for having a lazy eye. But flash forward about 6 months and we were told that now they both had lazy eyes.
This momma was definitely not happy and immediately got them glasses. Kendall has worn glasses a little while longer than Brooke, but they both currently wear glasses. They both have been through patching, and we are not doing eye drop patching, which is a new method to help correct crossing eyes.
Although the outcome is something I feared, I know not everything is in our control. The girls eyes don’t seem to be as bad as mine, where they are blind in one eye; however, I still fear that will happen one day.
If this is something you are worried about, please get your child’s eyes checked out right away. Getting them in as soon as they can be seen is very important, especially if you feel they are going to have a trait passed on. I would also recommend getting a second opinion. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and always go with your mom/dad gut. If we would have gotten a second opinion sooner, the outcome could have been different and in our favor. Ultimately, though, if your child needs glasses, embrace them. A lot of people complain and see only the negative about wearing glasses, but with young kids you have to embrace the situation and make them feel special. The girls have had glasses for quite some time now and they absolutely love them. We have never had a problem with them trying to take them off or play with them either.
Glasses are a necessity in our life, but I love the fact that because I have embraced it with the girls, they enjoy wearing their glasses now.