Trust Your Gut

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Many weeks ago, we began to notice some things about Noah. He knows all of his numbers, but he was having trouble reading a digital clock. Then we observed that he could read it, just as long as he was close enough. Hmmm. We decided to make him an appointment at the eye doctor.

Several other things began to come to mind. The way he never, ever gets his face clean when he washes it, looking into the bathroom mirror. The way he bumps into things. The way when we all see something in the car and point it out, he never sees it before we've driven by. Of course, these could all very easily be due to normal, four-year-old behavior.

The eye appointment lasted three hours. They performed test after test. It turns out that he has astigmatism and is very far-sighted. Noah was such a trooper and so cooperative. I was really proud of him.

The doctor informed me that if we had not caught this so very early on, he would have developed a lazy eye and it would have most likely been permanent. He has a consultation with a specialist at a vision therapy center in a few weeks and will likely be given an eye therapy program in order to strengthen and further train his eye muscles.

He could still develop a lazy eye, but it is much less likely since we caught this so early on. As long as we can get him to wear his glasses regularly and do the exercises, he probably won't. This was all startling to hear. Not that a lazy eye is the end of the world, but it would be an issue that Noah would have to learn to deal with. Between our two sons, he is the less confident, the more sensitive and the very shy one. A lazy eye would have simply magnified all of these traits.

Through lenses, I was literally able to see what Noah sees. It was very eye-opening. The poor little guy sees the world so very blurry and he has to work his eye muscles very hard in order to focus.

He picked out some darling glasses and he's excited about them. We will get them in a couple of weeks. But please, if you can remember, tell him he looks "cool" in his new accessory, not "cute." :)

I'm excited for him to see the world in all its glory for the first time. Noah already appreciates nature and beauty so much. Won't he be astonished when he is able to see it clearly?! I am also curious if this change in view for him will also change his behavior or personality. We shall see.

So this is just a message of encouragement to all parents to really trust your gut when it comes to your children. Don't doubt yourself. You know your child better than anyone else in the world. If you think there may be any issue, it is worth looking into.