pediatric ophthalmology

wren had her eye check up a few weeks ago. i was thoroughly pleased with the doctor.

the visit began with a note on the door stating:

"stop! do not enter the clinic if you are experiencing ANY cold or flu like symptoms. we treat premature babies with weakened immune systems. for everyone's health and best interest please call to reschedule
your appointment."

or something like that. nice, eh? anyway, there was a short wait... and they called us back.

i'd been dreading this appointment since her last ROP exam. those dang clip things they stick in her eyes are no bueno. (i never got a picture this close up. it's pretty gruesome, isn't it?)

but it was great that she was already tracking pretty well.. he was able to get her attention with some odd spinning toys and a bizarre alien language of clicks and coos. after dilation and a 15 minute wait for it to take effect, the exam only took about 10 minutes.

he came to the conclusion that she is farsighted (hyperopia). about a +4. he said that babies and children have an ability to compensate for vision problems much longer, and much more effectively than adults. over time, the strain of correction could cause her to cross her eyes. if this happens, (he told us just to wat

ch her and note any changes), the crossed eyes can be fixed with glasses. once the strain is removed, the eyes would relax to their natural position. for now, he said that her Rx doesn't warrant the hassle that glasses would create. (can you imagine? my 6 month old with a cannula AND glasses? give me rest!)

he also said that while she does have a blond fundus, she doesn't seem to have any other signs of ocular albinism. (one of the signs is of course, a blond fundus, also fair skin and hair.) this is fabulous news, because ocular albinism

can cause unhealthy development of the eyes... for now, her eyes look healthy, and seem to be doing fine! what. a. blessing. he did say that it can start to show itself a little later in life, but agreed to see us back before we move again (in march) to double check.

of course, she's ROP free! here's that story.