Lucas' Vision Check

If you recall, Lucas failed his eye test at his 7-year checkup a couple weeks ago. So per his doctor's advice, we went to see an optometrist this past week for a more thorough vision check. I want to start by saying that getting the chance to go out with just Lucas is so wonderful. He is so sweet when he is separated from his siblings, and I really enjoyed our time together. (We started our date off with Jamba Juice!)

Once at the doctor they did a basic vision test for each eye. As I sat and heard him get about 50% of the letters wrong, I was convinced he was nearly blind and would surely need glasses. I mean, he was seeing C as N, O as B, K as L. Like he was just totally guessing because he couldn't read the letters at all.

After a while the doctor said he wanted to do more in-depth testing, because he was seeing signs of an astigmatism. He dilated Lucas' eyes and then had us wait in the waiting room for about 15 minutes. During that time I had to tell Lucas he wouldn't be able to participate in the outdoor VBS family night that evening, since the doctor has said to stay out of the sun for the next 6 hours. He was a little sad but took it in stride.

The eye drops made him feel kind of sleepy and a bit "off". I sat and scratched his back and he nearly fell asleep.

Back in the doctor's office, he examined his eyes a bit more and did a few more vision tests. The optometrist told me Lucas is having a little trouble seeing both near and far, and that glasses may be a good option for things like reading, or reading the board in class. Then he tested his eyes with his prescription, and Lucas was able to see 20/20. He told me that at this age, the way a child sees can affect the way their brain processes things. But because Lucas' eyes still have the ability to see 20/20, that means his brain processing has not been affected by his vision. At least, I think that's what he said. I was a little confused at this point. In the end, he said Lucas does not need glasses right now, unless he is complaining of blurriness or trouble reading/in school.

Lucas walked out of that office excited about his cool plastic dilation glasses, without a single complaint about the entire process. I was proud of him and the way he handled it all.

Also, the doctor told me that because I am near-sighted, there is a 90% chance my kids will inherit the same vision problems. I thought that was so interesting....I had no idea it was so hereditary.