11 mo still has lazy eye/sometimes cross eyed
beachgirl24
member
DS has had what we call a "lazy eye" since he was born, and since we've read that of course it takes time for the eyes to align for newborns, we waited it out. It was still present at 6 months, was very noticeable in photos and DC was remarking that DS was putting books really close to his face, and going cross eyed while looking at his bottle while holding it, etc. We noticed it at home too so I talked to the pedi about it. He also has always rubbed his eyes excessively, which can be normal for kids when they're tired or hungry but he did it with such force sometimes that we were worried that it was allergies or that he could hurt himself while doing that. The pedi recommended a consult with an opthalmologist which I did last month.
(I was pretty dissatisfied with that doctor--he came out into the waiting room, hardly even introduced himself but said, "okay we're getting some drops!" and put dialating drops in his eyes which of course made LO scream but he calmed down afterwards. I said, "Oh, you're dialating his eyes?" He said, "Absolutely!" I have plenty of experience with getting my eyes dialated and I know what it feels like and I thought this was odd since LO was only 10 months and there's no way you're going to get him to sit still so you can look in his eyes, but what the heck, he's the doctor. 20 minutes later we were brought into the exam room, and the entire exam literally took no more than 2-3 minutes, he couldn't even see inside LO's dialated eyes because the baby was writhing and crying when he tried to look in, so the dilation ended up being pointless. He said he "didn't see anything wrong" with DS's eyes and told me to "be happy that he was a healthy baby", which of course I am! But I felt that he rushed us in and out and did not take quality time to examine DS or answer questions to my satisfaction--when I asked if it was normal for his eyes to go crossed like that when he looks at something he said, "Oh sure, we all do it, see if I held up something close I would go cross-eyed" and then he purposely went cross eyed. Very weird explanation. I said oh...well, okay thank you...and walked out a little dazed. While of course I DO want there to be nothing wrong with his eyes, I got the feeling that this doctor was thinking that I was just an overly concerned parent who was wasting his time, and he didn't even take a minute to address my concerns.)
So, I'm taking him for a 2nd opinion today. If that doctor says there's "nothing wrong" then I will just have to be satisfied with that answer and we'll just keep an eye on it (pardon the pun.) as he gets older, and follow up in a year or so. I was wondering if there is anyone else out there with a LO simliar age with this kind of problem?
P.S. I should also add that I have had a subtle lazy eye my whole life (just shows up in photos sometimes or when I'm tired or drunk ha ha), and have terrible vision and have had glasses since I was 9 years old. I have also had 3 surgeries for a retinal condition so yes, I may be overprotective about his sight but unfortunately he has a hereditary factors and I want to make sure there is nothing that should be done to catch any potential problem early, like having him wear a patch or something like that.
Re: 11 mo still has lazy eye/sometimes cross eyed
Did you go to a pediatric ophthamologist? We took D2 to one last month for the same reason. We saw one dr, kind of a pre-exam and she pretty much just looked at D2's eyes, had her look far away and close up. Then she dialated both eyes, which we knew would happen, they were very descriptive on their website on how the initial appt would run. After about 20 minutes, we went back to see the dr we had the appt with and he looked at her eyes, the same way the other dr had but he also looked at her retinas and took a whole bunch of pictures.
He showed us the photos, the reflection of the light in her pupils. It looks like her eyes are aligned but he said the initial dr thought the right was slightly off. So we have to go back in a month for another check - you can have intermittent lazy eye.
He also said to come back earlier if we think they are off again but to make sure we are looking at her straight on because the bridge of her nose is still really wide.
I would suggest taking a picture of her with a flash, looking straight at the camera. See if it looks straight to you.
DD1 had a bit of a "drifting" eye. We noticed it when she was a few months old, and I asked about it at her well child visits a few times. It typically only happened when she was very tired, and at her 2yr check up our pedi said we'll watch it until she's 3, and if it's not gone then we'll head to an opthamologist. She's 2.5 now, and we haven't noticed it in a while. We'll keep a close eye out for it until her 3yr check up just in case, but it seems to be gone. And since DH and I both wear glasses/contacts, she'll be getting yearly eye exams starting soon anyway, so I'm not too worried that we'll miss something at this point.
Anyway, the point of my rambling
Yes, DD1 had something similar, and she seems to have outgrown it now. I understand your concerns, but if the second opinion isn't worried, I wouldn't be, either.
DD1 Feb 2010
DD2 Sept 2011
I agree that you need a second opinion, preferrably with a pediatric opthamologist. I personally had a "lazy" eye as a child and began going to the opthamologist regularly at 19 months old. At my last checkup, I was telling the doc about my baby and he was asking if I'd noticed any of the signs you mentioned you had seen in your baby. Fortunately, I hadn't but the doctor still warned us to be on the lookout for such things given my eye problems.
My opthamologist mentioned that typically as long as any major issues are found by age 7, there shouldn't be any permanent damage to the eyes. So try to put your mind at ease somewhat that even if you can't "catch" whatever is going on right away, you should be able to manage it with regular follow-ups.
I have strict policies about doctors, dentists, opthamologists, etc. If I'm going to take my time and expense to utilize their services, I expect to have all the time that I need with the doctor and to have the opportunity to ask as many questions as I feel necessary. I'm a professional engineer and if I don't take time to answer my customer's questions they don't come back. I see why relationships with medical professionals should be any different. You are the customer and can take your money (and insurance as the case may be) elsewhere.