Changes

BIG NEWS around our house!  Buggy got glasses!!!  She is thrilled so we are going with the flow and being excited about it. :) 

A few weeks ago she complained of a headache.  She had a few sniffles so I thought maybe she was getting a cold.  Then the next day she said the same thing and again, I thought she was just getting sick, but then she kept complaining.  Every day she told me, at some point in the afternoon or evening, that she had a headache. 

I started to think I needed to take her into the doctor, and then I remembered in the very first chapter book we’d read together that the little girl started having headaches and had to get glasses.  We figured it could be a possibility, but didn’t think it too likely since she’d never NOT been able to see something we pointed out. 

I called my optometrist (who happens to be literally two blocks down our street) and got an appointment for the next day.

Bug didn’t mind the extra attention one bit and it became obvious in about two minutes that she did indeed have some trouble seeing.  It was interesting to watch as she would read one line and then on the next would simply say, “Nope.  Can’t see it.” or she would get the first letter of the line but then she couldn’t get the rest of them.

Our doctor did a few more tests and then explained that her eye muscles are working overtime to compensate for her vision problems.  They would immediately contract so she could see the first letter, but then they couldn’t hold it so the rest of the line would go fuzzy.  She also explained that the brain has to be taught to read smaller and smaller, and if it isn’t taught at a young age it will be impossible to read a certain size font as an adult.  The brain simply will not comprehend font of a certain size as a letter. 

This became apparent when Bug would read one line of letters, but then just slightly smaller she would say, “Can’t read it.”  The doctor said, “Can you give me a guess?” and Bug said, “No.  They aren’t letters.  They’re just dots.” 

The doctor said it was great that she has had no trouble learning to read with the extent of her vision problems. I can’t remember the exact statistic, but she said something like 70% of learning disabilities in public schools are actually later diagnosed as vision problems.

The doctor worked with her for a while, but then had to dilate her eyes just to get her muscles relaxed enough to figure out what prescription she needed.  Her eyes have been working so hard to see clearly that they couldn’t stop contracting…and that’s why she’s been having so many headaches. 

So the gist of all that is that Buggy is farsighted (which is why she could see things we would point out) with astigmatism.  I think the doctor said 20/50. I'm pretty sure I have astigmatism too, but I am nearsighted like Noni.  Aunt Karen told us she is farsighted, and Grandma said she got glasses when she was six years old so, as you can see, eye problems run in both sides of our family. 

We are very happy that Bug is so excited about her glasses and not upset about it.  She tried on all the pairs of girly glasses, and ended up picking black ones with flowers on the sides.  I think she mostly picked them because they said Disney Princess on the front. :)

They called today and said they were ready to be picked up so Daddy grabbed Bug after work and took her down there to get fitted.  She waited outside for him to get everyone together so she could walk in and show us her glasses.

Her expression was so sweet.  She wears her heart on her sleeve.  I could just see her thinking, “I like these.  I hope everyone else likes them too.  Do I look funny or cute?”

Once we all exclaimed how cute she looked she was back to her confident, independent, silly self. :)

She is really proud of the pink Princess case!

T said when she first put them on at she looked down and said, “Hey! There are bumps on the floor!”  She couldn’t see the pattern in the carpet before.

We are supposed to go back in a couple of months to see if things are improving with the use of the glasses, and get an updated prescription once her eye muscles get used to letting the glasses do the work for them.

Until then, we’ll be getting used to this face!

:)