Bean Gets Glasses

Last year, for Bean's 3-year check up she had questionable results on her eye exam.  Because she was only 3--and going through a major 'shy phase'--her doctor sort of disregarded it and said that we would repeat it at her 4-year check up, which was this last August.

In the meantime, I started noticing strange things regarding Bean's behavior, especially when it came to reading.  Bean has known her letters since she was 2 and so I found it really strange, when we were starting to help her learn to read, that I would point to letters that I knew she knew, but she would just stare and respond that she didn't know.  Plus she has been very, very irritable.

At her check up she ended up failing the test on her left eye (20/70) did somewhat better on her right (20/40) but combined was near perfect (20/30.)  We ended up taking Bean into a pediatric ophthalmologist, where they confirmed her previous screening test.  

We were so proud of Bean that day: she did so well!  The appointment was scheduled to be 2-3 hours long but she was so cooperative that we were only there for about an hour.

It turns out that Bean has amblyopia which is a condition where the nerve isn't responding to the signals the brain is telling it.  Basically, she isn't able to see out of her left eye at all, poor kid.  And the fact that she was able to compensate so well with her right eye makes me thing she's been having some pretty wicked headaches.  On top of that, she's very farsighted.  I think I'd be a little irritable too.

Bean was very excited to go try frames on.  She had settled on a pair of hot-pink ones but S and I gently guided her to this pair of glasses (lucky for us they had sparkly flowers on the corners.)  She has been so responsible with them.  And while she is still 4 and prone to her little 4-year old outbursts, I think her temperament has been much better.  Plus she looks pretty darn cute in glasses.