Implementation
- Implementation
- See By Three
- Physicians Participating in See by Three
- Pediatric Ophthalmologists Participating in See by Three
- Objective Screening Devices
- Adult Strabismus
- Amblyopia 411
- What is Amblyopia
- Goals of Amblyopia Treatment
- What Patch to Use
- Questions About Atropine Therapy for Amblyopia
- Amblyopia FAQ
- Economic Impact of Blindness from Amblyopia
- See by Three Progress
- Eyecare for Kids
- See by Three Graphic
Adam and His IOLs
Adam will be celebrating a very special third birthday on May 15th, 2011 - his first one as a pseudo-aphakic kid. That means that the lenses in his eyes were removed but were replaced with implantable intra-ocular lenses (IOLs). The IOLs will remain in Adam's eyes for life and provide Adam's distance vision but do not help him to see things close up. This means that Adam needs to wear bifocal glasses in order to assist his eyes in changing focus from distance to close up vision.
When Adam was 2 years and 7 months old, his mom was watching him as he talked across the dinner table. She noticed what appeared to be a small gray cloud within his right pupil. She wasn't initially concerned because she thought what she was seeing must have been a reflection from light coming in the window. When she noticed the same gray spot again the next day, she immediately rushed him to their pediatrician and then an ophthalmologist, both of whom confirmed that Adam had "something" in his right eye. They were referred to a retinal specialist and were lucky to get an appointment the very next day. Adam's mom recalls the night before the appointment with the retinal specialist, "My husband and I hardly slept that night and my stomach was in knots when we arrived at the doctor. Adam's eyes were dilated and the ophthalmologist delivered the devastating news - not only did Adam have a cataract, that was quite dense already, in his right eye, there was another one forming in his left eye. My husband and I were floored."
Adam's parents had never heard of a two year old developing cataracts. Initially they were told that the cataracts were congenital bilateral cataracts but that didn't make sense to them because if they were congenital, that would have meant Adam was born with the cataracts but Adam had already had two minor eye surgeries to open up narrow tear ducts and his eyes were given a thorough, dilated exam at that time (around 18 months) and he was cataract-free then. The retinal specialist referred Adam on to an amazing pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of Minnesota and pulled some strings so that we could get in that very next week.
Remembering the toughest days, Adam's mom says, "We cried many tears and prayed many heartfelt prayers since the little we understood from the doctor's visits and Internet research was that if we didn't get those cataracts out of Adam's eyes quickly, his vision could be seriously compromised."
Babies' and toddlers' vision is still developing and if one or both eyes go long enough without proper vision, there is a risk that the brain will stop receiving signals from the optic nerves. Once the pediatric ophthalmologist at the U of M examined Adam, he was scheduled for surgery within two weeks. About six weeks after that appointment, the cataract in Adam's left eye had become so dense, surgery was needed on that eye, too.
Both of Adam's surgeries went "beautifully", Adam's mom recalls, and his recovery was very easy on him but very tough on his mom and dad. After undergoing what is called a lensectomy, and the implant of an IOL, the patient must wear a shield over the operated eye 24 hours a day for two weeks. The operated eye is very fragile and could easily be damaged beyond repair if not protected well.
Additionally, to avoid infection and minimize inflammation within the eye, three different types of drops were needed, eleven times a day for the first week and then wean down from there. Adam's vision is now nearly perfect in his right eye when he is wearing his glasses but the vision in his left eye is not nearly as good. This means Adam has amblyopia and once his left eye has healed enough for his ophthalmologist to determine the prescription needed for the left side of his glasses, Adam will need to wear a patch over his right eye, to force his brain to use his left eye. This should result in the vision in the left eye "catching up" to the right eye.
Adam's mom concludes by saying, "We are so thankful for organizations such as Children's Eye Foundation. Without these organizations' valuable programs, as well as information available on the Internet, other families in similar situations would be left to worry and wonder. The advice we would like to give to parents of young children with eye issues is to be persistent in finding a great pediatric ophthalmologist who you are comfortable with. Also, take heart! There are amazing advances in pediatric ophthalmology that help ensure that your little one will have the very best vision possible. Finally, don't feel like you are alone. Now that we have a little one in glasses, my husband and I (and even our older kids) notice more and more precious young people in glasses each day."
Adam still has some work to do, but his family is now confident that some day, Adam will have 20/20 vision with the aid of his IOLs and glasses. Even though Adam is only (nearly) three, he is thankful for the good vision he is now blessed with. He tells anyone who will listen "Mine doctew took the cwouds out of mine eyes and wiss mine gwasses, I can see!" (translation: "My doctor took the clouds out of my eyes and with my glasses, I can see!"
To continue to follow Adam's story, visit: http://www.stewartsnippets.blogspot.com
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