Patching

Our youngest daughter Riley wears a patch for her strabismus or crossed eye. Grace had to do the same thing and later also had surgery to correct her eyes. She had strabismus and amblyopia both. Amblyopia is lazy eye. Grace's doctor was Dr Paras Shah who is a pediatric ophthalmologist. He has since moved to the San Diego area. This was sad news for us when he said he was moving. We were even more bummed when Riley started showing the same problems several years later. But we have a different doctor in the area now and she seems pretty darned good too. Just maybe not as personable as Dr Shah. So anyway, the reason I'm bringing this up is because Riley has been patching for maybe a couple years now. She also wears glasses. And they have prisms in them that help keep her eyes aligned. At our last appointment with our doctor four months ago, she lowered the time that Riley needed to wear her patch to two hours a day. I was excited...Riley was just done. These last four months have been the worst with her as far as getting her to wear her patch. During our last appointment, the doctor gave Riley a new prescription which wasn't super urgent that she have filled as her prescription hadn't changed that much. But of course, not long after that appointment, her glasses broke. So we ordered her some new glasses and when she finally got those (we lost her actual prescription and had to have them mail us a new one) and was used to them we tried to start the patching back up. She just fought it every minute almost of every day. It was a real struggle to have her wear it for even an hour. Then about two weeks ago she just basically started refusing to wear her patch at all. She had every excuse: "I can see just fine", "I don't care", you name it she came up with it. So we go to see her doctor yesterday and I'm fearing the worst since she just really hasn't worn it that much over the last four months, but especially the last two weeks. Well, her weaker eye was doing fine the doctor said. So she said we would go for the next three months without a patch (you read that right - no patch) and see how her weaker eye looks then. If it has gotten weaker we'll have to start patching again. But she said why do something we don't have to do. This was the best news ever for Riley. And quite honestly for me too. It makes the days really long when you struggle to have her wear it constantly. Things should be a little easier around here for the next three months. Lets just pray her eye stays strong for her next appointment!