It will be a long day

Today we are taking A (our 4.5 year old) to a big town nearby to visit an Opthomologist to talk about possible eye surgery. For those of you who haven't been privy to our private family blog I will give you the history in a nutshell.

Last summer A was diagnosed with Amblyopia (google it, I know what it is but am not good at explaining it :) along with a Strabismus. A strabismus makes the eye turn in or out. A's left eye turns in. We were told to patch the good eye for 4-6 hours per day in order to "make" her brain use the bad eye. We have been doing that for a year now. Along with patch therapy we have been going to the optometrist every 3 months to check on the progress. At first progress was slow, but this time the eye had improved greatly. We originally thought we would talk about the possibility of surgery to correct the Strabismus next summer but since her eye had done so well, her doctor is sending her now.

We are happy about this because it means the possible end to a very long year. (Getting a four year old to wear an eye patch for 4-6 hours a day is difficult) Also, this surgery could help to improve the vision in her left eye and it won't turn in any longer. I know some of you are thinking "Isn't this risky? I wouldn't let anyone touch my child's eye." Trust me, I've heard all this before and people haven't been nice about it. I've even gotten the attitude from some that maybe we are bad parents for considering this surgery. This is what I have to say about this : If your child had a major overbite and crooked teeth and you could afford braces and you knew that the braces would improve your child's self-confidence would you do it? Of course you would. We see this surgery the same way. A doesn't even realize that her eye turns in. But, what happens when she gets in school and some rude child says "What's wrong with your eye?". Kids are cruel. But I assure you that this surgery is more than cosmetic, it truly could help in the process of getting her sight to improve.

So, having said that, please pray for A today. This appointment is just a consultation, but we've been told it could last up to 3 hours. During this time they will dilate her pupils. She HATES that. The drops they use to do it sting and of course you can't see well when your pupil is dilated. Oh and then there is the problem of keeping a 4 year old entertained during a 3 hour long doctor appointment. Maybe you should pray for M and Iinstead!