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My baby has a lazy eye

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  • 18-02-2009 1:41am
    #1
    HaydensMom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15 ✭


    My 18 month old has a lazy eye and I'm wondering what experience other parents have had of treating this in a child so young. I waited months for an appointment with the optician, who prescribed glasses that my son just will not wear. Not a chance, no way no how, every time I put them on him he takes them straight off again. I've tried everything. Please help.


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    #2
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Has the doctor tried patches on the other eye so as to make the lazy eye do more work?

    I remember one way my parents got me to wear mine was that if I didn't I'd have to have an operation to fix it (i had to have the bloody op anyway... but how and ever...)


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    #3
    HaydensMom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15 ✭HaydensMom


    No I was surprised that he didn't even suggest a patch. Anyone alse I've spoken to that ever had a lazy eye had to wear one. I hope it won't come to an operation. If you don't mind me asking, did yours fix the problem first time?


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    #4
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    I still have to wear glasses... plus I can notice a turn in my eye also... so may need surgery again... so I don't really think so!!


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    #5
    Mountjoy Mugger
    Registered Users Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭Mountjoy Mugger


    I've had a lazy eye since as far back as I can, or care, to remember.

    I was given eye-drops to blur the vision of the other eye, wore a patch, tried glasses - I never realised an operation was an option (it mightn't have been back then). Nothing really helped.

    To be honest, it's seldom if ever been an issue - apart from not being an airline pilot...

    I'm surprised that your child was diagnosed as having a lazy eye at 18 months though. Mine only came to light when I had to take a compulsory eye test in Primary school back sometime in the 60's - I was about 6 or 7 years old.

    I've only lately started wearing reading glasses, so can't really see where all the worry is coming from with the OP. I don't mean to sound crass, by the way. Just my opinion. :)


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    #6
    John Mason
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 10,661 ✭✭✭✭John Mason


    First of all they will need your child to get used to wearing glasses before they start with the patches - usually about 6 months aftre the initial glass time.

    What you need to do get him get to wear the glass is build it up slowly.

    e.g. okay lets wear your glass when you brush your teeth and then take them off and then later in the day if you wear your glasses for, i dunno something small that is normal in your daily rountine and bribe him to feck

    after about two weeks, he should be wearing them for most of the day

    but do not get upset at him for not wearing them. this will just add extra stress on him.

    keep it all light and happy. sometimes it works with. mammy will put on her glasses and you put on your glasses

    trust me it will get to a point when he will be going to bed at night and remember that his glasses hadnt been off all day

    just stay calm and make it in to a game


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    #7
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,942 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    Mountjoy Mugger wrote: »
    I'm surprised that your child was diagnosed as having a lazy eye at 18 months though. Mine only came to light when I had to take a compulsory eye test in Primary school back sometime in the 60's - I was about 6 or 7 years old.

    I presume its visibly lazy from the outside - ie drooped or misaligned in some way? I can't imagine you can give an 18 month old an eye-test.

    FWIW, I have a lazy eye and its never caused me any serious problems - I had to wear glasses with a patch for a while when I was a kid, but it didn't have any real effect. I can see out of my other eye perfectly and don't need reading glasses etc. Main downside is that 3D doesn't really work for me - I can live with that....


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    #8
    HaydensMom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15 ✭HaydensMom


    Thanks for all the advice. I'm persevering with the glasses but it's hard work, hopefully some day soon he'll get fed up of flinging them! His eye is visibly off and you can see it's not focused most of the time. I hate to think that it's getting worse and there's not much I can do about it.


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    #9
    Billiejo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 149 ✭✭Billiejo


    HaydensMom wrote: »
    My 18 month old has a lazy eye and I'm wondering what experience other parents have had of treating this in a child so young. I waited months for an appointment with the optician, who prescribed glasses that my son just will not wear. Not a chance, no way no how, every time I put them on him he takes them straight off again. I've tried everything. Please help.

    Not a good idea to take 18/12 baby to optitions. Needs a paed assessment for referral to an orthopist who wouuld probably PX patches as first line treatment if there is a need. What appears to be an Eye glide (lazy eye) in Babys this age can be a false diagnosis untill the face/nose contours settle.


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    #10
    cathy353
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭cathy353


    My DS has a lazy eye and was prescribed glasses by an ophthalmic surgeon at 9 months. He was not prescribed a patch. If the glasses work to fix the turn they do not need to use a patch.

    To get you son to wear them try a little bit every day. Put them on and distract him with something. After a while he will leave them on longer and longer. Sorry it is tough and hopefully after a few days he will be wearing them all the time. My DS wears his now no problem.

    HTH

    Cathy


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    #11
    zoey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 93 ✭✭zoey


    A child I know has a lazy eye that was actually spotted by my Mum when the child was about 2. Two of the child's aunties had this aswell when they were younger and had operations to help theirs(this would have been about 35 years ago or so). As far as I am aware they don't operate on this condition anymore but I could be completely wrong here!

    Anyway she was given glasses aswell as eye patches to wear for a few hours every day. Like your son she hated wearing the glasses at first but after a few weeks she would actually ask for them as soon as she would get out of bed- I think she realised that she could see so much better with them on at this stage!
    The eye patch was really difficult to get her to wear. When I was told about it I imagined her wearing a black pirate looking one that I remember my sister wearing but they were disposible, skin coloured ones.


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