My First Eye Exam

I am ever so thankful that we have the Optometrist that we do. Dr. Linderer is an amazing doctor and she's extremely well with infants. Had it not been for us visiting Dr. Linderer I would have never known about the InfantSEE program.

Eye sight is a huge deal in our family. Both Adam & I wear glasses, me contacts too, and it has always been a big issue with Adam that we give Arabella the best start possible. He has lived with glasses most of his life and can only see 3-6 inches from his face without them. He was very concerned that she would end up with visual impairments because of family history. To start her off right I began taking DHA supplements while pregnant. DHA is suppose to improve brain and eye function in children. And after my yearly exam, with Arabella in tow, Dr. Linderer explained to me that she participates in the InfantSEE program. The InfantSEE program is one that allows all children, ages 6 to 12 months, to have a free eye exam regardless of financial status of the family.

There are many visual impairments that can be prevented if treated early enough in life, but unfortunately people either lack the knowledge in the importance in having your child seen early or do not have the financial ability to have their child seen. I am very proud that my doctor promotes this amazing free program to her patients. For more information regarding InfantSEE or to find a participating doctor in your area, visit InfantSee.org.

So after we arrived to the doctors office, Daddy decided he would be the one to hold Arabella during her exam. She did beautifully. She held pretty still at first. I think she was trying to figure out what all the gadgets were that the doctor used. After a while she thought Dr. Linderer was trying to play a game with her. She kept trying to peer around the magnifying glasses that the doctor was trying to use to see into her eyes. She was too cute.

Then came the sad part of the exam...she had her eyes dilated. Oh what joy. Mommy had to help hold her hands down so that Dr. Linderer could put drops in her eyes. After they were in, she just sat there and zoned. I'm sure she wasn't too happy with us but she never fussed. Dr. Linderer finished up the eye exam and then explained to us about the dilation of infants eyes. She told us that for infants it can take up to 24 hours for her eyes to return to normal. In the mean time if she seems like she's bothered by the lights, it's best to keep them turned down. She also told us another side affect could be lethargy and a potential to take extra naps. She then comically added that "No, I cannot prescribe the drops to assist in sleeping." Although that would be awesome. She said that she would be fine by the following afternoon.

And the final diagnosis? Her eyes are amazing. They are as close to perfect as you can get for an infant. She is far sighted, but that is normal for babies of her age. She told us that no one is born with perfect vision and that children's eyes evolve over time to where they "need to be" as adults. Right now her eyes look to be right on track for her age and to be "perfect" when she gets older. In the mean time she won't need to be seen again, unless we notice a change in her vision (stumbling (not toddling), squinting, not tracking, etc.), until she's around two or three years old.

She did however heal from her eye infection, but now has taken to rubbing beneath the same eye until it is raw. I was afraid that the infection had come back days after it looked as though it were gone. She said that the blisters were not present, but her eye lid is a little puffy and raw. She asked about her rubbing her eyes. I told her yes, she rubs them when she's tired to tell us it is time for a nap or bed. She also tends to do it at the dinner table when she doesn't want to eat anymore. In that case she ends up rubbing food into the raw spot. She said to keep her hands washed, try to prevent her from rubbing them until the spot is healed and we can continue to use the medication prescribed for the infection, but just once a day. Hopefully we'll get this thing healed up and not have to deal with it again.

It was a great appointment, Arabella did great, and now we just have to play the waiting game to see what happens with her sight in the future.