New page: blogs about children’s vision

I think blogs can be a fantastic way of sharing our struggles, and finding others that are going through similar journeys.  I had originally kept a list of blogs on the main resources page, but there are so many great blogs out there now that I wanted to give them their own page.  So I’ve created a new page for blogs about children’s vision.

The page is a work in progress.  As I hear about or stumble upon other blogs, I’ll add them.  And I’d love to hear from you if you have a blog that you’d like to have listed, or if you know of a blog that belongs on the list.  The only requirement is that the blog have some posts that related to having a child in glasses or children’s vision issues.  The list includes both personal blogs, generally written by parents, and professional blogs, written by eye care professionals or others in the industry.

I had originally written a short blurb for each blog, but the prospect of writing a blurb for each on is a bit daunting, so I’m going to settle for listing the vision topics covered in the blog (eg. amblyopia, cataracts, or optometrist).

Check it out!

Your stories – Dear Easton

January is Glaucoma Awareness month.  I hope to feature stories this months about children with glaucoma.  Amanda was kind enough to share this post that she wrote for her son, that was originally published on her blog See the Distance. – Ann Z

My son, Easton was born with a severely cloudy Cataract in his left eye.  At 3 weeks old he had surgery to remove the Cataract and his Lens.  It was after the surgery that we then discovered the Cataract was just a symptom of his overall abnormal eye.  He was diagnosed with Persistent Fetal Vasculature.  Along with abnormal eye structures and a cataract, his eye also is at very high risk of reoccurring Glaucoma for the rest of his life.  In order to maintain function and attempt to restore vision in his eye,  he has been wearing a contact lens since healing from the surgery and wears a patch over his “good” eye approximately half of his wake time, 6 hours.  He is currently 15 months old and it most definitely has been quite a journey getting to this point.  We recently found out that his Glaucoma has flared up and are in the middle of a battle with it right now.  Reading the blogs of other parents in similar situations is so comforting to me.  As a result I began blogging our journey approximately 6 months ago and it has helped immensely just to get it all out.  As this New Year begins I wanted to share one of my most popular posts as a way of reaching out and giving back to a community who has given so much to me.

This post was actually written Sunday, October 16, 2011… but it still rings true for me everyday.

Dear Easton…

My baby
My boy
I love you
so much
beyond what words
can express.

You are fearless.
You are full.
You are endless.
You are endearing.

You can do this.
There are so many days
when you make it
look easy.

But I know
you know
that there is a
harsh
cold
reality
to the days
that arn’t easy.

Every morning
Every moment
starts
and ends
with
the eye.

The eye
that can see
that is covered up
that wears a sticker
that bends your eyelashes down
that irritates
that itches
that rips your skin when removed,
that eye
is precious.

The eye
that can’t see
that is pulled open
that is poked
that is rubbed
that is wearing a contact
that is learning
that is growing,
that eye
is seeing.

I am sorry.
I am so sorry.
That you have to
endure.

I am sorry.
I am so sorry.
That nothing about this
is easy.

I am sorry.
I am so sorry.
That your vision
comes with a price.

But Baby.
My sweet
loving
lauging
little boy,
Mommy loves
you.

I love you
so much
that I will do this
for you.

I will continue
to wake up
everyday
and do this
for you.

Balance
Strength
Endurance

Easton,
Mommy is doing
the best she can.
I am trying.
I am sorry, baby.
I love you.

And when we have
bad days
you have to know this,
I do this
because
I love you.

Someday
we will look back
and I pray
all this is worth it.
Because you deserve
a chance
at the very least
you deserve
a chance
to have the best
possible
vision.

I love you.
I am so proud
of you.
Keep seeing the distance baby.
See the Distance.

beautiful with glasses

Ayisha sent in this picture of her beautiful daughter, Salena, writing:

girl wearing glasses“I am attaching a picture of my daughter, SALENA, age 8 years, who got her glasses when she was about 6 years old for farsightedness and astigmatism. She has been very good with her glasses always and has never broken one.  It has only been recently that she has started getting upset about wearing glasses as the kdis in her class are teasing her.  Her pet quote: ‘I look cute with glasses but pretty without them.’

I live in Pakistan and am a doctor. My husband wears glasses but my elder daughter and I , we do not.

I am hoping that seeing her picture in your photo gallery will remind my daughter how precious she is and that she is beautiful no matter what…:-)) I plan to go through the photo gallery with her and surprise her when she sees her own picture with the rest of the wonderful children.

She is a great dancer and usually called the “rockstar” of any show that she participates in.  She is the first one to start dancing and the last to sit down.  She wants to be a fashion designer, scientist and Barbie when she grows up!”

Salena sounds amazing, and it breaks my heart that she’s upset about her glasses and dealing with teasing at school.  And this echoes one of my fears, that Zoe will also one day start to think that she’s not pretty in her glasses.  So I’m asking all of you who read this, can you leave a note letting Salena know just how beautiful she is?

accurate terminology

It’s long bothered me that some of the terms or phrases related to children’s vision are  inaccurate and sometimes even mean very different things, which leads to all sorts of confusion.  Here are the ones that I can think of, though I’m sure I’m missing others:

Squint

The one that trips me up the most is the word “squint.”  Until we started our journey with Zoe’s strabismus, I always thought squint meant having your eyes mostly closed, like you do when you’re in bright sunlight.  Turns out that squint is also a synonym for strabismus and having your eyes not in alignment.  This can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings when people talk about their child having a squint, or squinting to see something.  For instance, before realizing there were two definitions, at one of Zoe’s eye appointments, I tried bringing up the fact that Zoe squints one eye in the sun, that is, she closes one eye most of the way, leaving the other open.  Zoe’s ophthalomologist thought I meant that Zoe was crossing an eye whenever she was outside.  I now try to avoid this word altogether.

Zoe exhibiting two different "squints": eyes not aligned (left), and looking through eyes mostly closed (right)

Lazy Eye

The phrase “lazy eye” is similar in that it can mean different things to different people.  I think most people in the eye care industry consider lazy eye to be a common phrase for amblyopia – when one or both eyes doesn’t see clearly even if it has no defects, or even if any refractive error is corrected with glasses or lenses.  Never mind that “lazy eye” doesn’t really accurately reflect what’s happening with amblyopia, since it has nothing to do with an eye being “lazy” and everything to do with the brain not paying attention to the visual input of the eye.  But beyond that complaint, a lot of people hear “lazy eye” and equate it with strabismus, since you see one eye focusing on an object and the other eye looking elsewhere (being lazy?).  And I’ve heard other people refer to ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid) as a lazy eye, again, presumably because the droopy eye looks “lazier”.   Further confusing things is the fact that both of those conditions can lead to lazy eye or amblyopia, but they’re not the same thing, and the treatments can be very different.

patching for amblyopia

Strengthening the weak eye

Related to treating lazy eye is the phrase that I find myself using a lot: “strengthening the weak eye”.  When a child patches the amblyopic eye, we often explain that they’re doing it to strengthen that eye.   In reality, though, we’re trying to get the brain to recognize the visual input from that eye, the eye itself isn’t being strengthened.  It’s misleading in a couple of ways.  First, when people hear “strengthen” they often think muscles, and I wonder if that adds to the confusion of thinking that lazy eye has to do with eye muscles and strabismus.  It can also lead to the misunderstanding that patching might make it so that the eye won’t need any correction any more if the patching is successful.  While patching can improve the visual acuity, if that eye needs glasses to see clearly, patching won’t fix that.

and on a much lighter note

Finally, on a lighter note, a reason to know the correct terminology for parts of glasses was posted over at Not Always Right (a blog about working with customers who aren’t always right).  I’d recommend using the term “temples” or “ear pieces” when talking about that part of glasses, not “legs”.

Ficklets photo contest

Ficklets is running a holiday photo contest: “Show us your Twinkle Eyes” – with a great prize pack: 5 Ficklet charms, eyeglass case, microfiber cloth, Amazon gift card, and more.  Check out the link above for more information on how to submit your child’s photo to enter.  Pictures must be entered by December 5, with voting running from December 6 – 13.  You can read our review of Ficklets here.   (Ficklets have small pieces, so I would not recommend them for children under 3).

Crafty things

For the crafty minded, or those looking for some crafts to work on with their kids, here’s some glasses-related crafts…

  • Make a glasses case: Amomofelly pinned this link to instructions for making a simple glasses case that can be decorated however you or your child chooses.
  • Turn old glasses frames into picture frames: I found these instructions a long time ago. I think it’s an interesting I idea, though with kids’ glasses, the pictures would be so small.
  • Patches: There’s a ton of instructions for making your own patches to go over your child’s glasses, and the great thing is that they can be decorated to fit your child’s personality and likes. The big thing to be sure of is that the patch provides complete occlusion, and your child can’t peek. Here’s a couple tutorials, you can also google for eye patch tutorials or eye patch patterns:

Anyone made any of these and want to share a picture?  Or have any other glasses-related crafts to share?

giving thanks

In honor of Thanksgiving Day here in the US tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about what I’m thankful for:

  • A pediatrician who took seriously our concerns about Zoe’s eyes crossing.
  • A pediatric ophthalmologist who we trust, and who really spends time with Zoe and knows her and her eyes.
  • Patient opticians who have adjusted Zoe’s glasses countless times, and who have provided so much wonderful advice on the selection and care of glasses.
  • Microfiber cloths, that are scattered throughout our house, so they’re always on hand to clean the always dirty lenses.
  • Glasses that help Zoe see (and that are darn cute to boot)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  What are you thankful for?

Survey about frames for parents in the UK

I just received this request from Arlene who is interested in finding ways to make a greater selection of frames available in the UK.  She would love to have any parents in the UK fill out the linked survey.  -Ann Z

I am a mummy of two great children one of whom needed glasses just before her 3rd birthday I was disappointed to discover the lack of choice and availability in Scotland and the UK. Every high street and local opticians have a small selection of children’s frames which are usually less than exciting. Detailed research has uncovered a huge choice of children’s frames spread all over the world, I would like to bring these together in an online shop featuring fun and funky eye wear to make wearing glasses exciting.  My dream is to one day have a high street opticians dedicated to the junior eyewear market. I am currently running a survey to test the market in the UK, I would be very grateful if would take the time to complete this short survey.  Many thanks Arlene Wilson (Rhys and Zoe’s Mummy)

New links and website that’s gone

A couple of links to check out, and one website that no longer exists…

These links will both be added to our Gear page:

  • I just learned of the site Children Wearing Glasses a couple of weeks ago (it was posted on the facebook page, but I can’t find the post again, so I can’t give credit where it’s due – sorry!).  Then yesterday, the owner of the site contacted me and gave me a bit more information.  It is a Danish site, and she’s tried to collect a huge variety of items for kids in glasses – that includes toys, accessories, glasses cases and more.  There’s a lot of cute stuff there.  The prices include VAT, if you’re not in the EU, the Danish VAT will be deducted from the price.
  • I also learned of product called SPEC-WRAP which is a colorful and protective sleeve for the earpieces and temples of glasses.  It lets you change the color of the earpieces of the glasses on a temporary basis.  Due to small pieces, they are not recommended for children under five, however.

and this one will be taken off our resources page…

  • Babies with glasses (babieswithglasses.org) appears to be gone.  This was the site that, had I known it existed back in March of 2008, I might not have started Little Four Eyes.  It had quite a few articles and a forum for support targeted at parents of babies in glasses, it also had some cute shirts for kids in glasses.  I am not sure when it went away, but I noticed the URL no longer worked last week.  This week I noticed that typing in the URL redirects you here to Little Four Eyes.  I am flattered that the webmaster did this – we’d never really interacted much, though I posted to the forum on occasion.  In any case, a big welcome to anyone who was going to babieswithglasses and finds themselves here!  I hope you’ll introduce yourself and stay for a while.

reader question – child with strabismus closing one eye in the sunlight

Ingrid wrote me with the following question:

I’m wondering if any parents of children with intermittent exotropia notice that their child constantly closes one eye in sunlight? Of all that we go though with Paris’s eyes, including patching, this for me is the thing that bugs me and bothers me the most. Especially as we live in Australia and it is always sunny!As soon as we walk outdoors she closes her exotropic eye, so she is closing it a large part of the day. I have tried sun glasses but she really doesn’t want to wear them. I am thinking of getting transition lenses? Has anyone got any advice on what to do? Is this something that can be rectified. It is really distressing to see her with one eye closed a good part of the day!

Here’s the thing, Zoe does the same thing, though she has esotropia, not exotropia.  Has anyone else noticed this with their child?  We’ve both asked our POs and not gotten much of an explanation.

So your child thinks their nose pads are gummy bears…

This question came in as a comment from Misty on the last post.  Danielle was kind enough to write up a reply.  -Ann Z

Question:
My 26 month old son chews on the rubber nosepads on his metal frames.  I’ve lost count on how many times we’ve had them replaced.  Nothing seems to work.  The tech at the doctor says that he’s going to have to start charging me for them since we’ve cost them a small fortune.  I’ve tried soaking them in vinegar so he doesn’t like the taste and we’ve given him other things to chew on.  Nothing has worked.  Any suggestions.

…

Answer:
No worries, any optician who has dealt with children knows that this happens from time to time. It is just a phase or a new habit. Quite frankly, I know that it is more bothersome for the parent then it is for me. Changing nose pads only takes a few minutes and they cost pennies for me, but as a mom and a dad you have to take the time to come in and deal with the scrapes on your child’s nose because the pads are all chewed up. I know this is frustrating, but there is something you can do 🙂
First, let me explain that there are several types of nose pads. Each one is made out of a different material. I’ll list them here from the softest and more comfortable pads to the hardest pads (or we could say from the chewiest to least chewiest)

  1. Silicone
  2. Silicone with metal insert
  3. Vinyl
  4. Vinyl with metal insert
  5. Solid Plastic
  6. Solid Metal

The plan is to start from the top of the list and work your way down until you find the pad that your child doesn’t want to chew on any longer. I guarantee you child will not be able to chew the solid metal ones. I know the temptation is to go right to the solid metal ones, but I have found this is not the best approach. The softer nose pads are more comfortable and as you go down each level you are giving up some on comfort. The last thing we want is your child to not want to wear their glasses because they are uncomfortable. Once your child stops chewing for a couple of weeks the habit will be broken and you can return to the softer pads.

Question and answer with Danielle

This question was posted a few months ago on the facebook group by Leah.  I forwarded the question on to Danielle Crull, a master optician who specializes in children’s glasses.  Here’s the original question, and Miss Danielle’s answer.  -Ann Z

Question:
Does anyone have difficulty with a flat nasal bridge? Nolan’s glasses sit too low because he has a depressed nasal bridge, and he looks over the top of his glasses a lot. He has amblyopia and we’re trying to avoid patching, but since he almost always looks OVER the lenses, I doubt the glasses are doing much good! Any suggestions??

Nolan's glasses slipping down his nose

Answer from Danielle:
“I definitely understand a parent’s frustration with glasses slipping down on children with flat bridges. In fact, most kids don’t have much of a bridge at all. First of all, it’s important to know that in a properly fitted pair of glasses the nose holds about 90% of the weight of the glasses. The other 10% is distributed behind both of the ears. So when your child has a very flat bridge or very small bridge, we need to make sure that the ears have the right size temples fit behind them. To help with that, you can have your child fit with comfort cables. The comfort cable will carry more weight of the frame behind the ear and then distribute it evenly around the entire ear, keeping your child from getting marks behind his ears. Frames that have two seperate nose pieces give the best possibility of fitting well on a flat nose bridge. It is also important that those nose pads stay in adjustment or the glasses will begin to slip down. That means you may need to get more frequent adjustments! Again the comfort cables will hold the gap when the nose pieces get bent out, minimizing the slipping.

What I’m trying to say is that it may not be the way the bridge fits as much as it is how the temples fit. Parent’s should make sure that both the temples and bridge are fit properly and don’t be afraid to go back in when your child get’s their glasses a little askew :)”

. . .

Leah sent a follow up note to say: “We found that her advice is perfect – we have cable arms and they are snug enough to help with the ‘slippage.’ He also has the saddle-nose bridge piece. We had to get wire frames to fit alongside the hearing aids, but everything is fitting together very well now!”

reader post – growing up with a cataract

Cyndi Lee left this as a comment this morning about her experiences as a child with a cataract.  She gave me permission to re-post it here.  Many thanks to her for sharing.  -Ann Z

This is my first time writing anything about my cataracts….  I’m now 41, but I was born with a cataract only in my left eye.  My right eye is still 20/20 (God is fair) and as much as I’ve joked to my doctors that they should use me in their thesis, no one takes me seriously.  For one, I know the difference between being legally blind vs 20/20 and I can EXPLAIN to the adult world the cons and pros.  So for those who are in need of some sanity for their child, read on.

A cataract is exactly like seeing objects underwater in a swimming pool.  You see the object and can identity but it’s not crystal clear. I also had a lazy eye – that comes with the territory with most cataract cases in early childhood due to the lack of muscle usage. I’ve had a semi-successful surgery only because I waited too long.  The procedure was not as advanced as it is today to fix the lazy eye syndrome related to cataract, but still I’m so grateful and happy for the surgery.  The early years, I had to wear the “pirate” black eye piece to school which I endured great ridicule from the students and from which I still have nostalgic scars, BUT my strong parental influence and my brother being next to me had made all the difference in the world.  Although in hindsight I would tell a “story” behind the patch, such as “my eye needs rest because I have extra vision like superman”….Something to that line to ease the ridicule…comedy is the best remedy. Encouragement and making sure the eye patch is “fashionable” due to the fact no one else has it makes it special!!  Having a degree in fashion has definitely made me realize that being different is the key!  It’s the love, support and encouragement the family shows that sketches out the future of the child.  My mother still carries the guilt as though she had done terribly wrong during pregnancy but I always tell her I’m blessed as I have a 20/20 vision on my right eye versus the astigmatism my brother has on both eyes.

I underwent a retinal detachment surgery 3 years ago, I went in for a normal checkup and went into the emergency room that night.  The damage was severe but the surgery was very successful. I did lose some sense of depth perception and some peripheral vision but my eyesight improved by one line on the chart which the doctor couldn’t explain.  No one had ever educated or warned me about the retinal detachment that are prone to happen to people with cataracts, so I would advise any parent to always remember to ask during checkup as their child gets older.  I did see flashes during the night while driving and spider web like floating around but thought it was just due to aging.  Don’t be alarmed as I still have a tiny “floater” after the surgery but I received results from two specialized doctors and they said it was fine.

The recovery, was tedious, boring and restless!  One must sleep facing down ( two weeks for me ) my mom and I’ve tried everything until we came up with a solution.  Bought a massage table with the open headrest from Costco and placed a huge mirror under me angled towards the TV so I could at least be entertained and now there’s iPads. The recovery is very important as one can lose their vision if not properly taken care. It is imperative after this surgery to always have a doctor’s visit at least once a year if not twice just to be safe.

Spectacularly spooky spectacles (Halloween photo round-up)

I had too much fun going through my email inbox these past couple of days.  The pictures everyone sent in of their children all dressed up for Halloween are beyond cute.  So without further ado, here they are, enjoy!  (And if you have a picture you want added, send it my way, I’ll try to get it up – ann @ shinypebble . com)

Continue reading “Spectacularly spooky spectacles (Halloween photo round-up)”

Call for Halloween pics!

Goblins in glasses?  Bespectacled beasties?  I’d love to do a post featuring pictures of our kids all decked out for Halloween – or any other glasses-related decorations.  Send me your pictures, with whatever caption you’d like added to it to ann @ shinypebble . com (take out the spaces).