Little CJ's Eye Dr. Visit

Today we had a visit to the eye doctor for little Mr. CJ.  I notice that he sometimes squints one eye and so we thought we’d go for a check-up.  I was expecting a clean bill of health because this isn’t our first trip to the eye doctor but I got worried when they moved us to a different room to re-check something.  His Dr. told me that he has "intermittent exotropia" meaning that intermittently each eye wanders outward.  To know my little guy you would never notice this.  She says it’s fairly common, means his eyes aren’t always working in unison, and can affect his eye development.  His daddy had this and had to have surgery when he was a toddler.  So when she told me this my heart immediately leaped into my throat and my eyes filled with tears.  I don’t want my baby to have to have surgery!   I tried not to look like an idiot and fall apart and the Dr. was so sweet and compassionate (turns out she has a son his age).  She reassured me that in the realm of things that are big deals, this is not one, it is a teeny tiny speed bump.  So my little sweetie will wear an eye patch for a couple of hours daily and get eye checks every couple months.  Hopefully there is no surgery in his future and these patches will help.  It’s also possible for his eyes to heal on their own so we are going to be hopeful that this happens.

The good thing is that right now he doesn’t mind the patch at all. So I’m hoping that he will adjust easily to this routine.  It just breaks my heart to see him have to wear it.  He is such a good sport though.  He was a dream at the doctor’s office and is happily singing to the Wiggles with his little patch on.  He’s having fun being a pirate.  This is my sweet little CJ, he just takes things in stride.

CD accompanied us to the doctor and did not take things in stride.  He screamed like a pterodactyl and let us know he had had enough, thank you.  My sweet CD.  I went through an entire bag of tricks (this was before I fell apart), stickers, fruit snacks, cheese crackers, apple juice, tissues, etc.  Sometimes I feel like a jester and that I should learn to juggle! CD is a challenge, a doll, but a challenge!!