Eyesight issues

[Cataboo]

There is a lot of help out there for people with low vision or disabilities - just often the problem is getting plugged into the system or knowing who to ask or where to start. A low vision clinic or contacting your state or county programs is a place to start.... If she's still in high school, call the school system... Public schools are required to provide for children with issues, and they usually have a fairly good program and know where to point you. The lions clubs do a fair amount for low vision/disabled people, so they're another potential contact. The low vision clinic at Hopkins is supported by the Lions clubs and named after them. I know Maryland state runs a low vision drivers education type class on the weekend to help people with low vision that are still qualified to drive drive more safely.

Most people will say that you get better health care going to a teaching facility as a hospital/medical center. Johns Hopkins is number one in most and it's a teaching facility.

There's drawbacks - you don't want to get stuck with the unsupervised first year resident in June right after they start... But they are supposed to be getting proper supervision.

It's useful in that a resident is typically going to give you a far more thorough exam than someone who's been a doctor for years - yes, they are sort of just practicing, but they're also paying close attention and catch things that other doctors might not.

And if you've got an interesting medical history, you end up being show and tell for all the residents in the area, because, yes, they will flock to respectfully gawk at you.... But you also tend to learn and understand a bit more, because when the supervising doctor sees you, they're going to point out things and explain things to the residents... which has the added bonus of keeping you a bit better informed.

And definitely - always get 2nd or 3rd opinions on things like this - because her eyesight is so important to her daily life and some doctors are really going to offer you what they're comfortable with or what they know how to do.... The average opthamologist basically just sees people who need help with their prescription or glaucoma, anything more complicated they probably refer on... So you want to get to the referred on state, to someone that sees lots of people with vision problems and has a bigger quiver to help them.

[indysteel]

Now that's an idea that Silver will seriously consider because YOU suggested it

I would strongly urge you to take her there. The problem I found with private doctors in that they often take the easiest route to solving a problem. They almost always start with soft contacts, even though they may not be the best option.

My experience, I think was pretty typical. My eye doctor put me into soft, toric lenses when I was 13 or so. By the time I got to IU at age 19, my eyes were a mess. I hated the torics. They never stayed in place and my eyes were ALWAYS dry. The docs at the optometry school immediately recognized that I was not a good candidate for toric lenses in that the shape of my eye would not hold them into place. They also noted that my eyes were particularly dry. Based on that, they put me into GPs, which I wore incident free for the next 9 or so years.

The only problem I experienced was from a pair of of GPs that were just a bit too steep for my eyes. They were causing my eye to swell and then scrap against my lid when I slept. That's what led to the scratched cornea. Like your daughter, it took a few months for my eye to heal and for my eyesight to stabilize such that they could get me into a new set of contacts. That was about 9 years ago, and I haven't had any other problems since.

The optometry school in Indianapolis has been exceedingly patient and diligent in treating me. They don't really have a profit motive so spending hours with me is not an issue. They seem to understand GP lenses much better, too. While I've had multiple interns over the years, at my request, one doctor has stuck with me and he knows my case history very well. I cannot say enough about them. And did I mention that they're a lot cheaper than a private doctor?

Given what I know (which is admittedly little) about your doctor's history, I see no reason why she won't be able to get a proper prescription prior to going to college. Her cornea should heal in a month or two. With the right pair of gas permeable lenses, she will likely see better than 20/20. From there, she really needs to keep her glasses prescription up-to-date (in case she ever had any other problem that prevents her from wearing her glasses) and to go to the eye doctor for a checkup once a year. Her eyesight will likely continue to change and worsen--if it's anything like mine.

By the way, a lot of people are under the impression that GP lenses aren't as comfortable as soft. That has absolutely not been my experience. Any contact will make your eyes feel dry and tired if you wear them all day and night and/or work at a computer all the time. It's important to use rewetting drops and to take them out so that your eyes can rest. Also, you absolutely cannot sleep in GPs. They can be a bit fussy if you get something in your eye, but it's easy to deal with. I've lost only one lens in 20 years of wearing them (ironically during a bike ride when I tried to wipe some sweat out of my eyes). All and all, I'd say they're very user friendly.

So, don't despair......