Friday, August 01, 2008

Good Eye Exam

Whitney had surgery to correct a vision problem called Strabismus approximately two years ago.  The surgery actually adjusted some of the muscles attached to her eye in order to help them straighten out.  It was a success and Whit's eyes have tracked together properly ever since.  

We've been seeing her ophthalmologist every six months to ensure things keep heading the right direction.  The most recent visit was this past Monday.  Melanie took Whit into the room and Whitney began pointing at her ears.  This was her way of asking, "are we at the ear doctor's again, Mom?"  She has her ears checked a lot more often.  Melanie explained that, "no today we're having your eyes checked."

I don't think Whitney really understood that part, but she did cooperate as the doctor and his assistants showed her pictures and asked what they were.  Whitney identified most of the pictures and Melanie interpreted her signs for the office staff.  That game was a lot more fun than having someone look into her ears.

Finally, to get an accurate understanding of how well Whitney sees, the ophthalmologist had to dilate her eyes.  Whitney tolerated it pretty well and the result was terrific.  Turns out, based on the exam, that she has 20-20 vision and doesn't even need glasses!  That's more then I can say about either of Whitney's parents.  Both Mel and I need correction so it's great to know there's something about Whitney's health that, for now at least, going working perfectly.  Things went so well, in fact, that the ophthalmologist is going to let us go a full year before we need to go back. 

Whitney kind of struggled through the rest of the afternoon while her vision was blurry and her eyes were sensitive to light.  She wouldn't tolerate the sunglasses they gave her at the office, so she spent the ride home from with her eyes squinted.  Later in the evening she allowed us to put her little sunglasses on her to go for a walk.  And by bed time she was back to normal again.

2 comments:

Gavin Ross said...

Wonderful news about the vision piece. It's great to hear both the visit went well and the results were good. Zoe and Geneieve and I are very happy for you guys.

Shayanne said...

That is so awesome!!! Hopefully Shayanne's do the same thing. Dr. Larson is a great doctor. One of my favorites. I bet you are glad you don't have to deal with glasses anymore!