This morning the four of us took a family field trip to the dentist. David had an appointment this morning at 9am and I called yesterday to reschedule one for Grace and they had one available for this morning at 9:30am which worked out great since we're sharing a car for the next 8 business days and we would have had to wait awhile otherwise. Well one of the hygienists called in sick so they were running pretty far behind. So behind that we didn't get in until 45 minutes after our appointment was scheduled. In that 45 minutes Grace and Ethan made friends with another little 2 year old boy in the waiting room and his Mom noticed Grace's eye and asked me if she had Ptosis. I wasn't too shocked that she asked since I had noticed her little boy also had the condition. Most people don't comment, though I've had a few children ask what's wrong with her eye.
It was kind of nice to chat with another Mom who is dealing with the same thing and we compared notes on treatment our doctors have discussed with us. She wasn't very happy with her son's eye doctor so I gave her our doctor's name and information since we are pretty happy with ours. It was a relief to talk to someone else who had the same concerns about their child's eyesight and how it will affect them as they grow.
For those that don't know, Grace was born with congenital Ptosis which is basically a droopy eyelid. The muscles that lift the eyelid never fully formed so she will need surgery when she's 5 or 6 to correct the issue. The main concern with Ptosis is that there is a higher risk of Ambloypia (lazy eye) since it can be easier for a child to use just their good eye. Thankfully Grace adjusted to her droopy eyelid early on and has always lifted her entire head to look up etc. in order to use both eyes and not just the one good eye. We see her eye doctor once a year to make sure that she sees equally well out of both eyes and to make sure she's using both eyes together.
Grace is oblivious that her eye looks different from other children's eyes but I'm sure she'll catch on eventually. When she does I hope she has enough self confidence to know that she's beautiful from the inside out and that her inner beauty is far more important. Kids can be cruel and I know that as she gets older she will hear them talk about it. As her Mom I wish I could shield her from teasing but I'm realistic and know that there will come a time when I can't be there to stop it. That's the hardest part to bear!
8 comments:
Grace is beautiful :) Just wanted to tell you that!
If anyone says anything to Grace you send them Uncle Sam's way!!
She is a beautiful little girl, we all know it. But if you ever want some insight, you know how to get a hold of Dominic. He had it in both eyes and had surgery when he was 13 for it.
She is a really sweet and pretty little girl and it seems like she has enough spunk to keep any unwanted comments from effecting her.
I think Grace is looking wonderfull. We have our Son Vinz who has the same issue. We live in Amsterdam and his mother is american. See http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=vinz&w=14790449%40N05 for pictures.
We would love to get into contacts with parents so we can exchange do's and don'ts. At the moment Vinz is 3 and it does not bother him and the kids are nice about it. I wonder if he goes to school if that changes. How cruel are the kids going to get?
I agree Grace is gorgeous! Thank you so much for posting - this gives me great hope as my six month old daughter also has congenital ptosis (left eye mainly) and I'm wondering what the future holds for her. Did Grace's ptosis get worse or better as she got older? Do you happen to have any photos of Grace as a baby on your blog? Once again thank you!
She is beautiful. My son also has ptosis, mild but noticeable.
sweeeeeeeeetie
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