Being a toddler is tough enough.Everyone is bigger, stronger, smarter, and faster than they are. Then, add a few vision issues and limited ability to communicate and as a result we parents become their vision advocates. So how can we tell what is really going on?

Let me explain the situation. Sunday 2:00 A.M. Elly wakes us up with a curtling scream. I run to her bedroom and she is yelling, “My eye hurts, my eye hurts,” clutching her right eye (the one we put Atropine drops in) Then she says, “There is blood coming out, There is blood everywhere.” By this time, I am wide awake, have the lights on and have put a cold compress on her eye. No blood and she settles down easily and goes back to sleep, but I am wide awake and sleep on the floor beside her bed, just in case.

This event repeated again last night around the same time and same complaint. So is it really her eye hurting? And if so, wouldn’t it hurt more during the day or in the sunshine? And why now? There have been no daytime complaints.

Or, if you take into consideration that my husband had a MAJOR bloody nose complete with blood spewing all over the dinner table (TMI, I know) right before she went to bed Sunday night, then maybe she has found her inner voice and has begun dreaming or rather having nightmares. Or possibly, she is now in the stage where fears are real and very scary. Maybe the patching and drops and not being able to see is her fear (I can’t blame her) In which case, how do I address it, acknowledge it, and help her work through it? Either scenario is difficult and I find myself reaching out to people in my community who are more knowledgeable than I. I did put a call into my PO and we have a scheduled appointment this Friday. I’m also hoping to get a hold of the home visitation vision specialist and ask if there are specific things I can do to help Elly through her fears. And parents… any thoughts or suggestions?