[Stormster]

DS had Ptosis (appearance of different sized eyes) early on which seems to have improved greatly but he is left with one eye pointing a little more inward.

I'm going to take him to the Pediatric Eye Doc but was wondering if anyone else's children had this ....I can't imagine he'll wear glasses or leave a patch on his eye!

There also seems to be a bit of an inherited thing going on ...his biofather, full sister and half brother all have one eye slightly different from the other.

[Amber76]

Not claiming to be an expert, but I am a teacher of the visually impaired. Ptosis is actually a drooping of one or both eye lids, so if the "lazy" eye is under that drooping eye lid, that could be the reason for it becoming lazy. (Amblyopia is the technical term for lazy eye). Good luck with the eye doctor and I hope that all works out. He might do better than you think with patching-or there are drops they use to blur the other eye and make the lazy eye work, but I don't know that they are for very young kids.

[HappyTwinsMom]

My daughters are 7 years old and have been diagnosed with amblyopia. Our ophthalmologist feels it's minor enough to leave it untreated at this time - says that many kids outgrow it over time. If it doesn't improve, he will consider patching first, then possibly surgery. Obviously, I don't want my babies going "under the knife" so I'm praying for them to outgrow it!

[Stormster]

Thanks guys. I know...it's scary. It's their eyes! I like the idea of those drops. Sounds logical.

Happy, in your case it must be genetic, no? Does it affect their eyesight?

[chrisandaaron]

Originally Posted by Stormster

Thanks guys. I know...it's scary. It's their eyes! I like the idea of those drops. Sounds logical.

Happy, in your case it must be genetic, no? Does it affect their eyesight?

Eye doc chiming in here. This is something I am very passionate about, so please don't mind me getting on my soapbox for a moment. I have seen way too many children needlessly lose vision from Amblyopia (lazy eye) because their parents didn't feel it was a big deal or they didn't follow through with the treatment. Please Please Please follow through if they recommend pathching, drops, or glasses. Even if they recommend surgery, be aware that further patching/drops/or glasses may be necessary for your child to obtain good vision. Yes patching and glasses can be a pain, but young children (even babies)tolerate it amazingly well in most cases. The younger a child is, the easier it is to treat. After age 8, the success rate of treating amblyopia drops dramatically.

Now, a turned eye does not necessarily = amblyopia. But, it can cause it. Amblyopia is caused by using one eye more than the other (for various reasons)...thus the unused eye does not develop the proper connections to the brain and that eye will never have the potential for good vision if not treated(even with glasses). So YES..it absolutely affects their vision (if not treated early in childhood)! And while there is not a direct inheritance pattern, the things that cause amblyopia do tend to run in families, so it doesn't surprise me if dad/brother/sister have it that your child would as well.

The main issue becomes. If one eye sees good and the other doesn't, it may not seem like a big deal. We do walk around with both eyes open most of the time. However, if someone suffers an injury/medical condition as an adult and loses vision in their good eye, they are stuck with crummy vision in the other eye. It can also restrict a person when it comes to certain jobs, ect...

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have more questions! I hope you find a great eye doctor and everything goes smoothly!

[Stormster]

Thanks Chris. Yeah we are going to a ped. eye doc at Columbia Pres. Babies Hosp. in NY. I'm going to get right on it

[chrisandaaron]

Originally Posted by HappyTwinsMom

My daughters are 7 years old and have been diagnosed with amblyopia. Our ophthalmologist feels it's minor enough to leave it untreated at this time - says that many kids outgrow it over time. If it doesn't improve, he will consider patching first, then possibly surgery. Obviously, I don't want my babies going "under the knife" so I'm praying for them to outgrow it!

I highly recommend a second opinion. The success rate of treating amblyopia with patching dramatically decreases after the age of 8. And surgery does not fix amblyopia, it only aligns the eyes so that they have the potential to be used more equally. In most cases you still have to do something to make the eye with worse vision work overtime to catch up. I agree that a child can occasionally "grow out of" a turning eye (or at least has more control over it), but if it is causing vision loss (AKA: amblyopia) it must be treated.

I aggressively treat even mild cases of amblyopia in children who are 7-8yo because I know the window of oppurtunity to treat this condition is closing at that time.

I'm sorry, as I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear. But, based on what you have said I would at least get a second doctors opinion before you wait too long.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

[chrisandaaron]

Originally Posted by Stormster

Thanks Chris. Yeah we are going to a ped. eye doc at Columbia Pres. Babies Hosp. in NY. I'm going to get right on it

Let me know if you have questions after your visit

[HappyTwinsMom]

Thanks, Chris...perhaps I misunderstood what the ophthalmologist was saying. The girls both see well, they just have eyes that turn, mostly when they're exceptionally tired. Their doctor sees it as mostly a "cosmetic" issue since it isn't affecting their eyesight.

Storm, I'm guessing it's genetic and, since they're identical twins, it makes sense that it affects both of them.

[Stormster]

E's gets worse when he's tired too.

[chrisandaaron]

Originally Posted by HappyTwinsMom

Thanks, Chris...perhaps I misunderstood what the ophthalmologist was saying. The girls both see well, they just have eyes that turn, mostly when they're exceptionally tired. Their doctor sees it as mostly a "cosmetic" issue since it isn't affecting their eyesight.

Storm, I'm guessing it's genetic and, since they're identical twins, it makes sense that it affects both of them.

That makes me feel better. As long as their vision isn't affected it is fine to wait and see. Amblyopia means the vision is worse in one eye (even with the best correction). It is just important to continue checking to make sure the vision doesn't become worse in one eye.

Glad you cleared that up. I was truely worried about them. If you can't tell children's vision is my passion.

[catey]

From the Mom of a 3.5 year old with far-sightedness in one eye, which is causing amblyopia, glasses and patches seem to be MUCH easier the younger the child. They adapt so easily...you'll be amazed. My daughter has had glasses since she turned 2, and the patch about 6 months later. She now won't get dressed without her glasses. They are really a part of her "normal." And the patch? She LOVES to choose the patch of the day. Her favorites are Hello Kitty and the pink Pirate patch I had made for her.

She goes to daycare and hasn't had any issues with other kids yet, except for one child who kept taking the glasses off her face. We told our daughter to tell the child, "Don't touch my glasses!"

For everyone out there, it is so critical for toddlers, even babies, to be seen by a qualified professional (I'm talking PEDIATRIC Ophthamologist) early, even if your pedicatrician doesn't detect an issue. Our pediatrician missed Zoe's eye problem. When I asked our eye doctor what to tell all my girlfriends who were having babies what to do for the first eye exam, he said for them to just schedule with him.

Just as Chris stated above, I'm now passionate about this, and I'm just a Mom whose daughter could have had MUCH more severe eye issues if this hadn't been detected so early. Good luck.

[finallyamom0310]

Originally Posted by catey

For everyone out there, it is so critical for toddlers, even babies, to be seen by a qualified professional (I'm talking PEDIATRIC Ophthamologist) early, even if your pedicatrician doesn't detect an issue. Our pediatrician missed Zoe's eye problem. When I asked our eye doctor what to tell all my girlfriends who were having babies what to do for the first eye exam, he said for them to just schedule with him.

Catey, Did he say what age to start? I haven't even thought of taking DD yet as I thought 2 yrs old but now am worried even though the ped hasn't said anything.

[catey]

He said between 6 and 12 months. Chris? What's your opinion.

[Dukefamilyest2001]

My son had/ has a lazy eye which we began treatment on when he was 2 and a half. We first used drops three times a day (patch in a liquid form) and after six months of that, we had muscular surgery (outpatient). We do eye exercises and he does wear quite a prescription when it comes to glasses but his vision is improving more and more. We may have to do the surgery once or twice more prior to entering high school but by Senior Year we may be glasses free!!

It was heartbreaking to find that my two year old never knew what mommy or daddy looked like but as the doc said to us, he relied alot on sound and smell and it wasnt until he was running around that we realized his vision was so poor. As he put his glasses on for the first time he was amazed at the things he saw and NEVER gave a problem wearing his glasses. He places them on his night stand at night and before he even gets out of bed he puts them right back on and this is 5 yrs later.

Hope all goes well.....