Question for Lisa (nigele) or Marisa

[C99]

I was just curious how you realize that Tom and Sophie had eye problems? Was it just obvious or did your peds point it out? Did you take your babies to baby eye doctors for a consult? Is there such a thing as a pediatric optometrist or opthamalogist?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me.

[Melanie]

So I'm not one of them...but I have the eye problem their little ones do (I think). There definitely are Pediatric Opthalmologists. In my case my eyes wandered much longer than the acceptable time frame and actually would sometimes almost disappear up into my head. Generally you'd go to the regular ped. to confirm an issue and get a referral from them or someone you trust to a good pediatric opthalmologist. I'm not sure where you are, but if you're in So. Cal., LMK and I can give you the info for an excellent eye center.

[nigele]

Caroline,

When Tom was seven months old, I noticed his right eye was turning out ever so slightly. I took him to his ped who referred me to a pediatric opthalmologist (yes, there IS such a thing!) It turned out Tom had been born with a defective lens which eventually ripped open and resulted in a cataract (hence his eye turning out - his brain had begun to shut the eye down.) He had surgery to remove his lens at that time. Recently, at sixteen months, we found out that the muscle in that eye was weak from lack of use and he had surgery last week to correct it.

I would definitely recommend seeing a pediatric opthalmologist if you or someone you know needs to have their baby's eyes checked. They are trained to deal with squirmy, non-cooperative babies and the special issues that children with eye problems face.

Please let me know if you have any more questions - I'd be happy to help! (Unfortunately, this is one subject which I deal with on a daily basis.)

[jd11365]

Hope you don't mind if I chime in....Yes, there are pediatric opthamologists. Kayla has seen one each month for the past 3 months. She has a clogged tear duct that has still not opened. My ped recognized it early on and I decided to see the pediatric opthamologist on my own...glad I did...I feel better dealing with a specialist especially when dealing with Kayla's eyes. Just hoping it opens up so we avoid surgery! I have to push on the corner of her eye twice a day really hard, which she hates and use drops when the "gunk" in her eye is yellow...which she REALLY hates. If you think there is a problem, I would definitely give a ped. opth. a call. It's covered n my insurance with no referral...hopefully it's like that on your's as well. Hope all is well with Nathaniel!

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[C99]

Follow-up question...how do I find a pediatric opthamologist? I'm in Chicago. I just noticed that Nate's right eye turns *in* ever so slightly. I had this problem when I was a kid -- still do, actually, but my glasses correct it -- and I don't think I had glasses until I was 3, so I'm all about early prevention and remediation.

[jd11365]

I had to use one from my DH's insurance plan...so opened the listings in the Aetna book, did some online research, and chose from there based on my research. You might also ask your ped...they must be able to refer you or be able to figure out how to refer you. And, like you, I think early prevention is a good thing!

Good luck and hope all is well with Nate. FYI, my ped. opth. said often it's a visual illusion that their eyes turn in because there is no bridge in their nose and it's so flat making it look like one or both of their eyes turn in...but that doesn' t mean I'm suggesting not to take him to be checked out...just the opposite...I'm just offering a positive possibility.

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[Momof3Labs]

Caroline, I'd bet that Children's Memorial has a pediatric opthamologist. They have a pediatric dermatology department - we've seen the head once, and she was fantastic.

[Marisa6826]

Caroline-

There is such a thing as a pediatric opthalmologist (PO). They are specially trained to be able to measure deficiencies in childrens' eyesight. It may not be as exact as "what's better, one or two??" but it's pretty close.

I noticed that Sophie's eye was turning in mostly from photographs. It was hard to catch it in "real life" on a regular basis, but once I saw the photos, I knew there was something up.

The problem that Sophie has is called strabmismus. There is also a condition called pseudo strabmismus which is a phenomenon where it only looks as though the child's eye is turning in but is an optical illusion (if you will excuse the pun) stemming from the fact that the bridge of babies' eyes is abnormally wide, obscuring the whites, making them look uneven.

You can only find out if it's the real thing by having the eyes measured for strength.

Your pediatrician can also look to see if light reflects in the same spot in both eyes. If s/he is concerned they will send you to a PO for further evaluation. I really had to push to have Sophie evaluated since they kept blowing me off by phone. By the time I finally got her to a PO, not only was it cosmetically apparent, but she had already lost strength in the eye that turned. It's hard to explain, but the turning is only a side effect of the actual problem. I'd be happy to go into further detail if you want me to.

I found that the best way to find a specialist is to find the best Children's Hospital, find the specialist YOU want and then get the referral from your PCP. I've never had luck going with one that the PCP recommends first. Unless you have really bad or obscure insurance, most will take it.

-m

[nigele]

I belong to a Yahoo group for parents of children with cataracts. I will post a message asking if anyone knows a PO in Chicago. The parents on this group search out the best doctors in the country. I'll let you know when I hear something!

If I were you, I would take Nate to his ped ASAP. The ped should then refer you to a PO and you might get a quicker appointment if you have a referral. The ped may also be able to detect if there is a more serious problem (like a cataract, which is unlikely) that may require immediate attention. If you make an appointment with a PO yourself, you may have to wait. Our ped was able to get us an appointment for the very next day.

I'll be in touch!