xp: if you have patched for strabismus?

Re: xp: if you have patched for strabismus?

• haleybeth81

  February 2012

  I've patched DD#1 since she was 6 mo old so she's somewhat used to it now but I've found her doing playdough, finger painting, or some other activity that she only gets to do during patching time helps her listen.  Also I've started putting a timer out so she can see when her time is up.  I use Ortopad eye patches ( they are online at ortopadusa.com) and they work great.  They stick really well although you have to make sure you clean the area and let it dry before sticking it on.  Also you have to rub the edges so that the glue warms up and works better.  My DD is fair as well and will have some redness but it usually goes away after about an hour.  The website also has bears that have patches, videos about patched superheros, and a reward chart that they get to put their used patches on when they're done.  They also come in cute patterns so DD likes to pick them herself.  GL and feel free to email me at haleybeth81@gmail.com if you want to talk or anymore tips.

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• Glendi428

  February 2012

  We had to patch DD for about 6 months when she was about 2. We used these Nexcare patches, which I found were pretty gentle on her sensitive skin. She quickly learned how to remove the patch herself so that it didn't hurt, which was great. Before you complicate the process with MOM or other remedies, you may want to just observe for a few days how her skin responds. She might handle the patch fine with no interventions. I'm inclined to keep the whole process as simple as possible, KWIM?
  

  Surprisingly, it wasn't a huge adjustment to the patch (I was expecting a nightmare ordeal- it was def. less intense than that!)  The first few times I applied it and then plopped her right in front of the TV for an episode of Dora... by the time the show was over, she'd almost "forgotten" about the patch. In your case (just an hour a day compared to our 4 hours, not to mention dealing with a slightly older non-autistic child who you can sort of communicate with), I imagine it'll be even easier. Good luck!
  

  When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown
  Big Girl 2.7.06 ~ Baby Girl 9.2.07
  

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• groovygrl member

  February 2012

  Thanks! I appreciate these tips.

  I wasn't planning to use the MOM unless there was redness, just threw that idea out there in case others had tried it or had better solutions!  Oof, 4 hours, I'm sure that was no fun at all. I was wondering if TV was a good or bad thing b/c they're just staring straight ahead and not really moving the eye around? I know some of it is about strength of vision also but I wasn't sure... 

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• Kittycat196

  February 2012

  1. We used the patches from ortopadusa.com

  2. We didnt have any irritation and my son has fair skin too. sometimes it would be red if he ripped it off himself but it goes away quickly.

  3. It took my son a while to wear it, we found he wore it more when he was very busy and distracted playing. He is in daycare and he wore it much longer there then at home.

  We had to patch 2 hours a day and sadly it didn't work for us and he had to have surgery. I know patching does help others though. Good luck.

  

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• Assembly_Reqd member

  February 2012

  groovygrl:

  :

  1. any brand of patches you felt worked best, with least irritation? (and where did you get them?)

  I bought the pediatric nexcare patches from Walmart.
  

  2. tips for decreasing skin irritation (my daughter is quite fair)? I know it is only an hour and the alternating thing will probably help. the tech advised putting milk of magnesia on, letting it dry and then applying the patch if we see a lot of redness...I  trimmed off some of the outline/sticky areas before applying. I also used my fingers with a bit of baby powder to cut down the stickiness even further.Some people say to stick it to your jeans and let the lint cut down the sticky.
  

  3. How long will it take LO to get used to this? She's relatively easygoing and I suspect we'll be giving some kind of treat the first few times to ease her in, and she is 2 1/2 so we can 'talk' about the whole thing which helps, but any other advice would be great. Nate was about 4 months when we started and I think his extropia was better around 9 months. We patched for 4 hours a day. Since he was so young we didn't have issues with him trying to pull it off.

  Thanks! 

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• Glendi428

  February 2012

  groovygrl:

  Thanks! I appreciate these tips.

  I wasn't planning to use the MOM unless there was redness, just threw that idea out there in case others had tried it or had better solutions!  Oof, 4 hours, I'm sure that was no fun at all. I was wondering if TV was a good or bad thing b/c they're just staring straight ahead and not really moving the eye around? I know some of it is about strength of vision also but I wasn't sure... 

  Good point... I went that route initially b/c it was my only option, really... and I figured 1/2 hour out of 4 wasn't too bad. That lasted for about a week before I could just apply the patch without a distraction. Maybe you should check with your doc before going that route, esp. since your DD will only be patched an hour at a time...
  

  When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown
  Big Girl 2.7.06 ~ Baby Girl 9.2.07
  

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• heedy07 member

  February 2012

  Another vote for Ortopad!  They don't seem to cause much irritation with our little guy, and they are fun and colorful, which is an added perk

  K, born 05/06/10 B, born with a few surprises 07/20/11  

  
  

  
  

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• amajane member

  February 2012

  Our opthamologist instructed we use 3M Micropore Surgical Tape. A box of 6 rolls costs $15 and lasts for over a year. Buy the 2in x 10yd.

  You have to cut a 2-3 inch piece then cut another 1 inch piece. Tape the smaller piece against the larger piece (sticky side to sticky side) and you get a a rectangle patch that covers from above the eyebrow to below the eye and from the temple to the nose. 

  Marley has super sensitive skin and this has never irritated her.  

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• spidermonkeymomma member

  February 2012

  1. any brand of patches you felt worked best, with least irritation? (and where did you get them?) I have whatever we got at the ped. opth office. I think they are ortopads

  2. tips for decreasing skin irritation (my daughter is quite fair)? I know it is only an hour and the alternating thing will probably help. the tech advised putting milk of magnesia on, letting it dry and then applying the patch if we see a lot of redness...  We've been doing the MOM because my LO is very fair and we've done it from day one. It's a bit of a pain to wait to dry but it helps her. 

  3. How long will it take LO to get used to this? She's relatively easygoing and I suspect we'll be giving some kind of treat the first few times to ease her in, and she is 2 1/2 so we can 'talk' about the whole thing which helps, but any other advice would be great.  My LO is only 4 1/2 months old so it's a lot easier... she barely cares. She does great with it so we're lucky.  She's been fine since day 1 (and it's been about a month now)

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