Every one is writing letters to their eye patches these days (Melissa shared hers recently, too)! Missy shared her own letter to her son, Austin’s patch. What would you say in a letter to your child’s glasses, contacts, or patch? – Ann Z
Dear EyePatch,
I despise what you do to our mornings. “A” dreads getting out of his bed because of you. He will lay there awake and tell me to go away when I check on him to avoid contact with you. We are inserting a cuddle session sans you in the mornings to avoid this.
I appreciate that you have given my child not only usable vision in a previously blind eye, but much better than the doctor’s expectation. I think that I have decided that because of this fact alone, I partially love you.
You are a part of our lives to a point that you were missed in the four months that you were gone. Just to clarify, you were only partially missed. It just felt wrong to not have you around. You know kinda like a wart on someone’s nose. You get so used to it that when it is gone, something is just off. That is the way I feel about you. You are a wart on the nose of my life.
The times that we spend together are wrought with more tantrums and tears than when he is without you. Honestly I have shed many tears concerning you and the reason you stick around (pun intended). We still count the minutes until you are done for the day.
We treat you like the annoyance that you are. You are stepped on, stuck to the couch, thrown under beds. Yet you are a part of the day. You never give up. Kinda like us. We are persistent. We will always be. We need you despite the fact that you annoy us greatly and affect every day in one way or another. In the long run we are grateful for the part you play in the vision of an eye that didn’t see anything until you made it see.
You are a part of my son’s face. I never ever ever ever EVER thought I would say that. When you are gone for the day, I am relieved, but I still look twice before I remember that we are done with you at the moment.
Anyway, I guess it is good that I have reached this point, because I have to put up with your annoying stickiness for at least another 6 years. Ortopad will love us/our wallets completely, even if we don’t love them completely.
Sincerely Missy and Austin and Everyone Else in This Family
For Little Eyes 
My child was diagnosed in 2001. she had her cataract removed at four months of age. we would patch and heartless strangers would offer up stories of shaken baby syndrome as did the pediatrician when I first pointed out the “cloud” in her left eye. Our doctor did patches and contacts up until kindergarten and then discontinued both, so literally her eye has just been on her face since 2005 doing nothing. He went in and strengthened the muscle about four years ago to correct the lazy eye that had developed. We see him every year and nothing changes. I fear that we are just nothing but a name on a chart in an overcrowded children’s hospital in little rock, ar. At the time of her surgery he was ranked #4 in the nation, but right now after seeing the article on NBC I would rank him #1 in maintaining the status quo.
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Oh, how heartbreaking that people were talking about shaken baby syndrome. Have you sought a second opinion?
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I am so sorry! That is horrible that you have had to go through that. I sincerely hope you can find someone else to see. I wish you the best. (hugs)
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Loved reading this on your blog Missy and enjoyed it here again with the extra pics!!! Seeing Austin as an infant again reminds me of how far we really have come… keep going imom, you and Austin are rockin this patching thing!!! I have been playing with the Dear Eyepatch concept in my mind, just haven’t sat down to give it a voice… maybe I will soon?!
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We have come a long way… I think we have passed the rough times. *crossing fingers* I think should write that post. Very fun to tell it off. 🙂
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