"Four Eyes"

Let me start off with saying what I learned through this ordeal. I learned that there are two types of eye Doctors (if you will), Ophthalmologist and Optometrists. Ophthalmologists are actually Doctors and have studied the eye and medical treatment of the eye. Optometrists call themselves "Doctors" although they can only give you a prescription for glasses or contact lenses. I had no idea! I'm so glad that I knew enough to know that the Optometrist that I had seen didn't know what he was talking about.

So this all started in July. One day I was talking to Little A from across the room and realized that her left eye was turning in. This had never happened before. It was like it happened over night. Immediately I knew it was Lazy eye. So I made her an appointment with the "eye doctor". When we went in to the little room they examine you in we sat down and I told him what had happened. He asked her to look at him and she did. He then had her cover her right eye and look at a big picture of an airplane projected on the wall. He asked her what it was and she said a plane. He then told me that she was far sided and needed glasses. (which I already knew since Big J had this when he was a kid) I said, "Well, she has lazy eye right?" And He said, "Even if it was you don't have to catch Lazy eye until they are eight." Right then I thought even if that were true, which its not, wouldn't it be better to catch it when they are 3? I asked him if we should patch the good eye at all, (again something that Big J had to do) and he said,"No one does that anymore." Now as he is saying this he is writing a prescription for Little A. The rest happened so fast I had no time to process what had just happened. He handed me the paper told me that a lady out in the other room would help me pick out frames and showed me out. I sat for a second and thought this can't be right. So I told the lady that I would come back later.

After leaving there I knew I had to get another opinion. I mean he didn't even put those huge funny goggle things on her to see what her prescription should be. He just wrote me one. I guess he thought that he could guess. I told Big J what had happened and he agreed. So I started asking around to see where I should take her, as I was doing this I learned that she should see an ophthalmologist. I also learned that the vision plan that we had wouldn't cover another exam. (Even though they shouldn't have counted the first since it was hardly an exam.) But since it was her eyes I was willing to pay for an exam. Then someone told me that I should take her to the pediatrician and that they can give me a referral so that it would be covered through medical instead. So I did and she said that it was Strabismus (Lazy eye) and that I could go to a specialist.

When we were able to get into the Ophthalmologist (two months later) I felt much better and he confirmed that the optometrist that I went to before didn't know what he was talking about. He was a cute little old asian man with the oldest office ever. When you walked in you could tell when he probably started his practice. Everything was 70's. At first I was like great, another old office with crapy care. But After talking to him I realy liked him. He was so funny talking about the "Eye Doctors" And how all his friends had sold out. So that the Optometrist would referr them when they came across someone that needed an Ophthalmologist. He said that he would never do that and that he didn't care about the money. After seeing his office it all made sense. I mean there was not one computer in the whole place. The secratary was useing a typewriter! Big J made the comment later that they better hope that there wouldn't be a fire.

Anyway..... about 3 months later here are her glasses! Little A could tell you that we tried on almost every frame in Bakersfield trying to find ones that fit her small face. But we finally did and they are here. She has to wear these all the time and we have to patch her stronger eye for 2 hrs a day to strengthen the weaker one. Hopefully she after doing this her eye will no longer turn in.

Here are my 2 "Four Eyes" Being silly for the camera. It helps that Little D has glasses. I think that if he didn't it would be alot harder to get her to wear them.

P.S. This is by far my longest post! And I forgive you if you didn't finish. Although you wouldn't know that I forgive you if you don't get to the bottom!