Stuart’s Story

Our son Stuart has worn glasses since one month before his third birthday. We noticed when he was two that he would stand very close to the television. He also would look at storybooks and photographs by putting his head down and glancing up, as if he couldn’t find the images. When he ran it seemed as if things came up at him too quickly and he couldn’t stop in time. He was also bumping in to things, although we chalked that up to being two!

A relative suggested we get his eyes checked as they hadn’t been looked at since his two-year appointment at the pediatrician. I found a pediatric ophthalmologist online and made the appointment. When we sat down and she did a basic visual check of his eyes, she immediately informed us that he would need glasses. She was not able to get an exact measurement because he was unable to sit for a thorough exam. She explained that at such a young age they are able to obtain a “close enough” measurement and that even if the prescription was off a bit, glasses would still be a great help. His diagnosis was extreme farsightedness in both eyes coupled with a lazy left eye. The doctor told us we caught it early and were smart to bring him in; even though we weren’t sure there was a real problem. She explained that 80% of children outgrow farsightedness by their elementary school years.

Stuart’s conditions can be caused by many things and we do not know why he has these issues with his vision. We were told by that doctor that we would have noticed the lazy eye eventually because Stuart’s eyes would have begun to turn so much that he would have become cross-eyed! She explained that the weak eye was turning in toward the right eye so it could have help to see. Eventually the weak eye would have been shut down in his brain with the right eye taking over. If untreated, an eye that isn’t used shuts down permanently resulting in blindness.

Glasses were prescribed and we saw immediate results. The first time Stuart put on his glasses and looked at me he said, “I see you Mommy!”, with a big grin. Eventually our pediatric ophthalmologist closer to our home prescribed an eye patch for Stuart’s right eye, the good eye, so that his brain would “wake up” and start making his lazy eye correct itself and work properly. The eye patch on his glasses was a real pain for Stuart. He didn’t like it and it became difficult to monitor whether he was peeking out or removing the patch completely. After about 6 months of trying we told the doctor we needed to try the drops we had heard and read about. The doctor prescribed one drop of Atropine for his good eye, once a day every day. She said she would see us in one month because the change should be noticeable. The atropine works by dilating the eye. It blurs the good eye for a few hours a day so the bad eye has to ‘kick in’ and work. The eye remains dilated for about one week after the drops are stopped. Aside from a little discomfort on application and some sensitivity to bright and direct sunlight, the drops were great!

At the next appointment his lazy eye had gone from a measurement of around 2200 to 20/80, which is the equivalent of an adult going from legally blind to being able to drive a car! We continued the drops and came back in another 4 weeks. That measurement had his eye down to around 2/50. We then went to drops three days a week and came back two months later. The measurement was so good that we went off the drops for two months. After recently getting a new baseline measurement, it appears that the lazy eye has regressed a small amount so we are currently back to using the drops 3x per week. This is normal for someone Stuart’s age (almost 5) and we will be able to stop the drops eventually. His right eye is now 20/20 for farsightedness with his glasses!

We are so thankful for the excellent care we have received from our eye doctors. After being told that blindness and eye surgery were very real possibilities, we are grateful that we got help, followed the doctor’s orders and have success! His glasses are like a part of him and he never goes without them. The eye drops are a small inconvenience and we are happy to have them in our battle for good sight. Stuart is a happy, confident and very active preschooler. He is right on track to begin Kindergarten and should have no problem seeing what all the other kids see.

We first learned about The Children’s Eye Foundation when we noticed the ‘I Care for Eye Care’ calendar at our doctor’s office. It is a great comfort to know that if we need advice or support, the Children’s Eye Foundation is there. I have spent many nights on the foundation website reading stories from other families and learning about my son’s condition and what to expect in the future. We are happy to tell other families our story and to give them information on the foundation.

Become a little ambassador.