A Delicate Balance – That Fluctuates

We are always very excited when we are off to a check-up at the Kennedy Centre. Alma talks happily about the teddy bear she can see in one of the pieces of measuring equipment, and she has a positive attitude towards it all.

The day before we have a look at the symbols on the eye chart to practise quickly, so we are sure that she knows the names of them all.

Alma is completely ready for what, for her, is just a very normal situation. “What do we do now?” she asks repeatedly after having a light shone in her eye, having looked up at the eye chart, or having looked into the eye equipment. She clearly knows the procedure and makes the check-up much more interesting with her quirky comments and love of touching things. She always manages to make the adults in the room smile.

Two steps forward and one step back

For the last few years it has been a real treat to attend these check-ups, because she has repeatedly surprised us in a positive way in terms of how her vision development has progressed. This time it was a bit of a set-back instead. Her bad eye was measured to have 50% vision … when she took a look at the eye chart, there were a few discrepancies that resulted in a vision score of 66%. It boded rather well … for now …

We were aware that there was a risk that therapy on the bad eye could have an adverse effect on the healthy eye, because there is a risk that the healthy eye will not be stimulated sufficiently when covered with an eye patch. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case with Alma. Since we had been in for an emergency check-up just six weeks ago, when everything seemed to be fine, we were not fully prepared for today’s result. Her healthy eye, which she should be able to see 100% with, was measured to be able to see just 66% … UGH! 🙁

We have reduced the amount of time Alma uses her eye patches, so she gets more time to use both eyes together. We are going for an extra check-up in three or four months to see if the change in vision therapy strategy improves the vision in the healthy eye.

She has only just had her third birthday, so we are optimistic about being able to strengthen her healthy eye – whether it will be at the expense of some of the sight of the bad eye, only time will tell.

We ended up leaving with a new prescription receipt for a new pair of glasses. These were certainly needed, to say the least. Life as a pair of glasses on the nose of a two-year-old has been tough. 🙂

 

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