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Hi, hope you dont mind but after reading Andy's topic on expertise I was hoping you may be able to help me (even though you specialise in contacts are you able to help with glasses??)

The reason I ask is my 3 year old son has just been prescribed glasses for a squint in his right eye. They were unable to do many tests as he just didn't understand what was required of him. I am a little confused really as to how they were able to give a prescription without testing.

The only test they could do was to stand the other end of the room with a letter flip chart and me holding a piece of paper with about 8 letters on and he was point to the letter on the paper that corresponded with the one shown on the flip chart. He did this without any problems. He is +2.00 in each eye and has to wear his glasses all the time.

Unfortunately there was a little bit of a language barrier so I was unable to ask many questions etc etc. He has been referred to a opthalmic specialist so am waiting for an appointment.

Are you able to offer any advice/information?
Kerri

Hi Kerri

Its not that unusual for squints to be detected and its better that its found as early as possible. The eyes develop between the ages of 3 and 7 and if one eye is under-developed (lazy eye) this can lead to a different level of vision for the rest of their lives. Squints can be corrected with glasses to make the lazy eye work more than the good eye thus enabling binocular vision rather than the brain suppressing the lazy eye. Sometimes some of the muscles controlling the eye have to be shortened/tightened to make both eyes focus together. This is a relatively simple procedure.
Imagine 2 tennis balls with 4 elastic bands attached to them at the top, bottom left and right. This is the same as our eyes with the 4 main muscles. When we look to the left the right band of one ball and the left of the other pull backwards and at the same time the opposite side bands give to allow both eyes to turn left together. If one muscle is slightly shorter than on the other eye the movement of both eyes won't be equal and this causes a squint.

I've posted a couple of links for you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/squint2.shtml

http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/factsheets/fam ... index.html

My ex's son had a squint op and by the age of 8 it was hardly noticeable at all. Only if he was very tired. He was given some exercises for the eyes to encourage the muscles to work together.

Any more questions ask away.

Regards

Dave

Can I ask a question Dave? I have been told that I have an astigmatism, and when I got my glasses from D & A they gave me a corrective lens. I couldn't get on with the glasses - I felt sick when I wore them and they gave me headaches. When I went to Specsavers they didn't correct the astigmatism and I'm fine. Should I have persevered with the corrective lens as I'm a bit worried that it will cause me a problem later in life.


Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present - a gift to make the most of.

View my blog at http://skippy13.blogs.iva.co.uk/

On a lighter note .. Ive been wearing specs since I was 9 very shortsighted , as you get older you tend to get lonsighted.. my eyes are getting better ..by the time Im 110 I should have perfect vision.

Ive got astigmatism as well .. but the inhaler really helps .

Hic - more whisky please

Thanks Dave for those links!

I didn't get any information from the opticians at all. Was just told he needs glasses but it was never explained why or how they would help.

Yes Archie's eye is more noticeable when he is tired which is when I picked it up a couple of months ago.

I keep being asked if anyone else in the family suffers from it. Noone to my knowledge does, but is this normally hereditery?

It was a little bit of a shock at the beginning of the week when we were told he would need glasses and I still cant used to him wearing them as he looks so different. Hes not keen on them either although he will voluntarily wear them for a few minutes and then take them off again! But its hard because obviously being only 3 he doesn't understand! Our ploy at the moment is he is heavily into Spiderman so we keep watching the first few scenes of the first film where he wears glasses! Does the trick!

Our GP has said that he should get his appointment through sooner rather than later but obviously didn't give any indication on how long we would have to wait to see the specialist.

At least now, I have something to go on, thanks to you Dave, so I dont look a complete fool and will hopefully understand a little better when they explain more.

Kerri x

Oops. Just read that it can run in a family. I will check with the rest of my family and my husbands, but I am not aware of any problems apart from the usual ones with growing old gracefully! My other 3 children aren't affected either.

Also his right eye turns inwards so I take it, its a convergent squint (trying to sound all knowledgeable now!!!).

Hi skippy

Sorry for late reply. Some people have a real problem accepting a correction for astigmatism. As you wear contact lenses which don't correct it anyway you would either find glasses that do correct it much better or, as in your case, not get on with it.

Glasses and contact lenses are nothing more than focusing tools and have no effect on the health of your eyes in terms of the correction. Obviously contacts can have an adverse effect on the health of your eyes if they cause an infection!!

Come on you Reds

Dave

Thanks for that Dave. What a result yesterday - 16 goals in 4 games! Here's hoping we can stuff the Gooners next week!

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present - a gift to make the most of.

View my blog at http://skippy13.blogs.iva.co.uk/