NICU eye exam

SineCera · August 2011

My preemie boy (Everett) is getting his first eye exam tomorrow before he is discharged home. I was just looking it up online out of curiosity and t says it's pretty painful for baby? Has anyone been there for the eye exam? Did it seem painful for your LO? I'm just wondering as if it's painful for him I don't want to be in the room. I know it's necessary but I hate seeing him in pain

Natalie_may · August 2011

My opthamologist assured me that it does not hurt at all, she has had that same exam done on herself. The babies do hate it though, as anyone would hate having their eyes held open. It's really quick and they get over it soon but it is not a fun experience.

Just as an FYI, it can take up until 44 weeks adjusted for their blood vessels to fully mature so you may be taking him and holing him through exams when he comes home. It might help to observe at least once so you get an idea of what to expect before you have to hold him while it is being done.

Good luck and I hope the exam looks great!

kck329 · August 2011

Ditto PP, I don't think its painful but definitely uncomfortable and the babies scream the whole time. My DD also had lots more As and Bs after every eye exam because of the stress and medication they used to dilate her eyes, just a warning. Other babies have no trouble with it though.

Congrats on being so close to going home!

Rachie_B · August 2011

I was not present for Sophia's first eye exam in the NICU. I wanted to be there, but the Neo and nurses told me that it is sometimes difficult to watch. I planned on being there for it, but they did it early and I wasn't there.

After she was discharged she had to have them checked every two weeks until she reached full gestation. They like to check them a couple times once they are mature.

All the exams done outside of the NICU I was present for. I think it looks worse than it feels. Their little eyelids are held open by this horrible looking metal device. Then they have to push the eye in the direction they need them to look. It really does look bad. Sophie cried through the whole exam and slept for hours after them. Sophie had terrible B/A's following each exam until she hit full gestation.

Trishie143 · August 2011

I brought Logan to his eye exam a couple weeks after he was discharged from the hospital. They just dilated his eyes then checked them out. The doctor said he was just checking to see if his retinas were formed. He was laying in my lap the whole time and it didnt seem to bother him at all. He didnt cry or fuss.

katie4253 · August 2011

It doesn't hurt, but it is uncomfortable. They use retractors. First they numb the eye, then they put drops in to dilate the eye. When the exam is done they put a retractor in the eye to hold back the eye lids and shine a bright light into the eye. They use an instrument to touch the eye.

Your LO might scream. Or, they might now. Gabe didn't cry at all for his first exam. He only cried a "hurt feelings" cry the two exams after that. He had 3 total because it wasn't until last week (44 adjust as the pp said) that his eyes were fully developed.

I never held him, the nurse did (in a swaddle, so he didn't try to "help").

kaylaaimee · August 2011

The NICU eye exams are different than the follow up ones. They aren't painful but the process is really uncomfortable for the babies.

Scarlette had them every 3 weeks after she developed ROP- I stayed in the room for the first one and then I stood outside her door for every one following. It's the only procedure they did that I had to leave for.

lwmooney87 · August 2011

I think it's definitely uncomfortable for them... they use numbing drops to help it not hurt though. When ever LO one would have eye exams in the NICU, they did them very early in the morning so I wasn't there. When I took her to her f/u appt after she came home, they had me leave the room...which broke my heart because I could hear her crying from the lobby.

I think it's just weird for them though. I mean, would you want someone holding your eyes open with a metal clamp thing? I think if it hurt though, they wouldn't do it without anesthesia.

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