Little Four Eyes

Today I'm going to blog about something a bit more serious.  Your kids.  Really - if you have children - get their eyes tested by an opthamologist by age 1.  You have no idea how important this is!  I tell people all of the time, but I think they think I'm crazy.

I want to share my story about Aubrie.

To start off - I do not wear glasses, nor does my husband, or our siblings.  Only one grandparent in our immediate family has glasses.  So I never once thought that any of my children would have vision problems.  Boy - I was wrong.  At 18 months, Aubrie started crossing her eyes.  I thought it was something she was doing to be cute.  Well - FYI - kids don't cross their eyes at that age to be cute.  They do it because they have a vision issue.

So I tell her pediatrician at her 18 month checkup & he confirms that no something is wrong with her eyes & I needed to see a pediatric opthamologist.  Up until this point - no one thought she had a problem.  Pediatricians rarely catch this - seriously they just don't.  Aubrie was smart - she put puzzles together with the brown side up.  She knew her colors & her shapes.  We were so very amazed at what she was doing if she had a problem seeing.

So we finally get an appointment with her pediatric opthamologist - these are hard to find in podunk IL.  It took 2 full months to get in - to top all this off - I was very pregnant with Everett.  He was due August 12th, and Aubrie's appointment was made for August 15th.  It was the soonest she could get in and I was bound & determined someone was taking her that day because we already waited 2 months.  Well - Everett is stubborn and I was overdue - so my Mom and I took her to see this doctor.  He was terrible.  He didn't like kids & he was rude to us.  He told me that we weren't right that Aubrie just had a wide nose bridge, but he'd still look at her eyes.  Well they dilated her eyes & shined a flash light in them over a prism.  When the eyes turn red like camera red eye - you have found the prescription - seriously - it is that easy.  He was so wrong - she may have a wide nose bridge, but she was very far-sighted.  She needed a glasses prescription in both eyes of +5.5.

I just couldn't believe it.  How could my baby have never see my face close up when I rocked her to sleep?  I looked at pictures of kids in glasses & I bawled.  Remember - very pregnant here & hormonal.  I was just sure that these glasses would look like the bad 80s plastic glasses & hide her unnaturally long gorgeous eye lashes & beautiful brown eyes.

So the next day - I go in to be induced with Everett & I put my sisters in charge.  I send them to take Aubrie to get her glasses.  I trust their judgement & again I didn't want her waiting another day to see me.  So all you moms - imagine getting a picture text mid-contraction - hard labor - of your baby girl in her new glasses - but bawling her eyes out.  Yes - thank you Abbie for that one!  So I'm in labor - crying again.  She hated her really cute tiny purple glasses.

Thank the lord for the two Moms.  They reassured her and manipulated her into them.  With her you have to manipulate everything before she thinks it's cool.  From that point on - she wore her glasses & loved them.  She is now almost 4 and on her 3rd pair of frames - in a +5.75 prescription (we stayed the same this year - hooray!).  Her glasses don't hide how beautiful she is - they enhance it.  It is her identity.  She's pretty cute don'tyou think!

So again - check out your babies eyes by age 1 (you can't afford not to) - it's important!  It's very genetic - so all my kids & nieces/nephews are getting eye exams - doctors orders.  If you know anyone who is getting glasses for their children point them to Little Four Eyes.  Ann created this site for parents with children in glasses.  It's a great community & I wish I knew about it when Aubrie was first diagnosed.  It was a blessing to find & I check this website out often to help new parents who have the same fears that I do.

Oh and great news - Everett was tested at 1 - and he has perfect vision!