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Eye muscle surgery

720 views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Jyotsna 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I rarely post here, but have occassionally about one of my dd's.

My ds is going to be having surgery, and we are both just worried about the outcome.

I am not going to let him make that final decision, just like when he had his first two surgeries at age 3, I wouldn't have let him make up his mind then. But he is asking can he just not do it. It is a sensible question, which I have been trying to answer in the last few days.

His history is that he was born with congenital cataract, and was dx at age 18 months. At age 3, he had the corrective surgery, his lens was removed and he got an IOL (interoccular lens implant). Recently he started seeing double, since he has amblyopia too. So the PO is saying we must have this surgery to stop the double vision and improve his facial appearance. I am not worried about his facial appearance at this time, because I don't think it is something that bothers him. He has one eye smaller than the other (in a miniscule way) and the smaller eye sags a bit. The surgery will correct much of the double vision and lift up the eye somewhat.

Anyone have a child who has had this surgery?

Very anxious over here, awaiting his surgery date!

Jyotsna
 
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#2 ·
I personally do not have a child who's needed that type of surgery but my sister had 8 eye surgeries between 4mos and 8yrs due to being born with crossed eyes. How old is your ds? It sounds like he's having some anxiety which is to be expected with an upcoming surgery. However, what you're describing to me sounds like it needs to be corrected simply for the vision aspect alone.
 
#3 ·
I imagine that the seeing double would be a problem for him? Is he having trouble reading, or playing sports or things? I can see the cosmetic issue not really being a deciding factor for either you or him, esp. since it doesn't sound like it's a big deal to either of you. I would think that the functional aspect, though, would be more important to fix through the surgery.

What are his specific fears or emotions around not wanting the surgery? What would happen if the decision was made to wait on the surgery?

Just some questions I'm tossing out!

I've always said that the hardest surgeries for me to agree with for dd (and she's had a whole bunch of 'em!) were the ones where there was less of clear-cut "gotta do it" kind of thing. Kidney transplant was a no-brainer, but deciding to do ear tubes took the better part of six months!
 
#4 ·
Well, as an adult with amblyopia and diplopia, I can relate!

I had severe lazy eye as an infant, started patching at 6 months old until I was 9 years old. At that point they said it was as corrected as it could ever be. I'm not sure if the muscle surgery that is now used to correct this type of lazy eye was not offered to my parents, or if they declined it. I now have diplopia as a result, and my left eye is my obvious weaker eye.

In my adult life my eyes have only really effected me one time...the military medically disqualified me. I fought it and finally received a waiver from the Surgeon General. I served as an officer in the military for just over 4 years. I was disqualified from pilot training, and I had some trouble with shooting a weapon (because one eye is near sighted the other is far sighted, so I can't move my focus from close up to far away without having momentary double vision)

BUT...otherwise I have compensated totally. My eyes get tired sometimes, I get headaches sometimes, occassionally someone will mention that my left eye did something "weird". Those muscles get weaker the more tired I am.

I'm just telling you this so you know my experiences as an adult with amblyopia and diplopia. Whether your son gets the surgery is a decision the two of you have to make. Remember that his objections, at age 11, are almost certainly purely out of fear, so it might be your job as mother to trump that fear. But only you know him well enough to know that.

Whatever decision you make, good luck! Post back again to tell us how it goes!!!
 
#5 ·
What is the name of the surgery he will be having?

Our son had eye muscle surgery when he was about five years old. I didn't (and don't) consider that it was his responsibility to make that kind of decision because he didn't understand the long term implications of not having surgery. We made the decision to have the surgery and then did the best we could to make it a positive experience for him. We visited the hospital ahead of time and so forth.

Honestly, for him the surgery was a walk in the park. We arrived at 7 in the morning and were home by one in the afternoon. He had to use drops for a week after. We got the surgery for reasons of avoiding double vision. There were also cosmetic improvements. I hadn't placed any value on that before getting the surgery, but after I'll admit that alone would make it worth it. Not in some kind of creepy fashion show sort of way, but because before the surgery people often thought he looked wary or untrusting and after his real personality came out more.

We defined this experience as about you can choose whatever ice cream you want that day and you get a fun surprise present. I don't think any of us would hesitate to do it again. It was harder to get teeth pulled out.
 
#6 ·
Hello,

My friend's daughter had this surgery when she was 2. The hardest part for my friend was seeing her get anesthesia before the surgery. She just went back for a visit to the eye doctor and her vision is good, her eyes look great and she does not need to see him for 3 years.

Best wishes to you!
Jen
 
#7 ·
Our dd had surgery at age 2 on both eyes for crossed eyes. It went really well and we are thankful we had it done! She is embarressed about wearing glasses now and also about how her eyes sometimes still cross if she doesn't have her glasses on. I think as long as you have a good surgeon, eye surgery can be a great thing and something that is really needed IMO. If it will help physical apprearance too, I would get it done. It may not be a concern now, but as your child ages (mine is now almost 9) it becomes more of an issue.
 
#8 ·
No, he doesn't get to choose, but he would like to make that decision. He just won't be allowed to make it.

He is doing okay at this point. I have gotten more information, and he will have a out patient surgery, then drops for a week, then total two weeks of no contact sports.

He was born with a congenital cataract, so he has had two surgeries already. Of course because those occurred when he was a toddler, he doesn't remember. He has no memory of being blind either. His biggest concern is that the surgery will hurt. (of course). A friend of mine told me her daughter had this surgery, and except for crying bloody tears, everything went well. I am trying to minimize him hearing comments like that! Fortunately he didn't hear that.

We will be fine. I get nervous every time he has to have surgery. So I need to find a way to relax myself, and he will probably be fine too.

Thanks for your comments.
 
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