We saw the ophthalmologist a few weeks ago. For the first time, they used the "teller cards" on Tommy. These are cards with varying black and white lines that they use to determine visual acuity in infants. They tested Tommy while patched and seemed pleased with the results. They did many other checks that I have no idea about and involved a lot of head gear and lights. Amazingly, little Tommy, who has developed a major case of stranger anxiety, cooperated beautifully! The ophthalmologist, optometrist, and technician were all excited that he "tolerated his patch so well" and seemed to be benefiting from it greatly. I had to laugh... while Tommy was doing just fine in the office in regards to his patch, he was already on his 2nd patch of the day and his appointment was at 8am! I did remind them all that he hates it and we sometimes go through 8 patches per day, but they still seemed surprised that we kept up so well. I am so thankful for our great daycare who keeps up on this painful process every day and for our family who endures his crankiness during patch time. Yes, there are days where patching is miserable and I feel sorry for Tommy and me and our whole family, that I want to give up on the whole thing! But news like this, that Tommy's eyes are improving, makes all the stress and hassle worth it. Our contact prescription went down again (+23 to +20) and his eye is growing. All major strides for a baby with PFS (or PHPV). Life is good. I have a lot to be thankful for!
We saw the ophthalmologist a few weeks ago. For the first time, they used the "teller cards" on Tommy. These are cards with varying black and white lines that they use to determine visual acuity in infants. They tested Tommy while patched and seemed pleased with the results. They did many other checks that I have no idea about and involved a lot of head gear and lights. Amazingly, little Tommy, who has developed a major case of stranger anxiety, cooperated beautifully! The ophthalmologist, optometrist, and technician were all excited that he "tolerated his patch so well" and seemed to be benefiting from it greatly. I had to laugh... while Tommy was doing just fine in the office in regards to his patch, he was already on his 2nd patch of the day and his appointment was at 8am! I did remind them all that he hates it and we sometimes go through 8 patches per day, but they still seemed surprised that we kept up so well. I am so thankful for our great daycare who keeps up on this painful process every day and for our family who endures his crankiness during patch time. Yes, there are days where patching is miserable and I feel sorry for Tommy and me and our whole family, that I want to give up on the whole thing! But news like this, that Tommy's eyes are improving, makes all the stress and hassle worth it. Our contact prescription went down again (+23 to +20) and his eye is growing. All major strides for a baby with PFS (or PHPV). Life is good. I have a lot to be thankful for!
He is way too cute! Your post is honest and true and tough, but in the end... yes, it's great news! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI sought out to find information and support on baby cataracts because our young new family is about to deal with all of this and I came across your blog. It has really helped me cope with the idea and know there is hope. If you have an email address, I would love to chat. Congrats to the continual progress of your beautiful son!
ReplyDeleteYAY! For good news!
ReplyDelete