Strabismus

We've just been to see our second pediatric (neuro) ophthalmologist and it seems that Torsten will need surgery on both eyes after all. We were hoping that the second opinion would be that we could do something non-surgical to fix the problem, but it wasn't meant to be.

According to the newer doctor, Torsten's case is bad and should be corrected ASAP. One of his eyes is already shutting down, so the faster we go for the fix, the better off he'll be. He also told us that, in general, 30% of children that have this procedure will need to have another operation down the road. He said that it's very likely that Torsten will need an additional operation. He believes that this surgery will get him through the next few years, but that we'll be back doing this again in the not-so-distant future.

So we're scheduled. We'll have pre-op on January 25th and the actual surgery will be on the 28th. The good news is that it will only take about an hour and the doctor says that recovery will be minimal. Other than redness, he won't have scarring and hopefully won't be in pain.

For those who, like me, had no idea what strabismus is, here is some basic information:

Strabismus:

If your toddler's eyes seem to look in different directions or not focus on the same object, he may have strabismus — a lack of coordination between the eyes. They may appear to be crossed or one may seem to drift inward, outward, or upward. Strabismus can be constant (meaning the eyes are always crossed or misaligned) or intermittent (meaning it happens now and then).

If your child has strabismus and it isn't treated, his brain could start ignoring the input from one of his eyes, eventually causing the vision in the ignored eye to deteriorate. This condition is known as amblyopia or lazy eye (see below). Depth perception could also be damaged.

Causes:

Sometimes strabismus is present at birth. The condition seems to run in families, but can also show up in children with no family history — and when that's the case, it sometimes indicates a more significant vision problem. Those who are farsighted also seem to be at higher risk.

So for now, we'll just keep constantly feeding our hungry (and now growing!) little guy and will continue to enjoy every bright and happy day that he provides us! Lots of love to you all.