accommodative estropia

[bella116]

My daughter is only 15 months old & was seen yesterday @ the pedioptomologist. The doctor told me she has accommadative esotropia; I was told the only way to fix that was that she would need glasses. "Is that true?" Can this be fixed & never appear again?

This is keeping me up @ night, I am so worried. I already ordered her glasses but should I go for a 2nd opinion? The doctor also said she is farsighted. I couldn't understand because my daughter never had a problem with seeing anything. The reason I brought her to the dr. in the first place was because I noticed when she focused on something close, her left eye would turn slightly toward her nose; but not all the time. I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision by having her wear glasses so early.
Is there anything else I can do to shorten the period of her having to wear glasses for so long? (the dr. said @ least til 10 years old) I just want what's best for her.

I feel like it's my fault; was there anything I could have done to prevent this? I stay up @ night just in tears... It's soooo hard because she can't explain how she feels or if her eye is bothering her.
** Please can someone let me know if they went through the same thing & now their child is able to focus fine without glasses. Let me know before & after results.. I feel like I'm in limbo....


Thanks for listening!

C

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear bella116,

Accommodative esotropia is an inward turning of the eye associated with farsightedness in children. It often is noticed around your daughter’s age.  Glasses will help prevent the eyes from straining and the inward turning.  If your daughter does not wear them and her eye turns, she may develop a lazy eye in which the vision is permanently blurry.  If you are still concerned, seek a second opinion from a pediatric eyeMD.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

This is a very treatable condition and often responds very well to glasses.  A board-certified pediatric ophthalmologist should be very well qualified to guide her treatment.  Chances are, she will be just fine.  She will need glasses, that's for sure, but sometime when she gets older (like a teenager) she might even be able to wear contact lenses.  The important thing is that her condition has been identified and is very treatable.  She is not going blind and does not have a life threatening condition.  She will adapt to wearing glasses and you will too!  There may be some bumps along the way and she may not really like the glasses at first but you should feel better knowing that she is getting the proper treatment.  Regarding the glasses, they help to reduce the accommodation or focusing effect which is so strongly linked to the eyes turning in (convergeance.)  If you can reduce the amount of accommodation, the convergence usually lessens in true cases of accommodative esotropia.

So, don't feel guilty or depressed, it is not anyone's  fault.  She will have a great future, and this will be a part of her early years.  Kids are tougher than you think and adapt extremely well.

Michael Kutryb, MD

[bella116]

Thank you so much for your advise! It helped a whole lot...

The pediatric optamologist had mentioned to me that she proberly only has to wear glasses til she's 9 or 10; & maybe occasionally just for reading & tv. Is that true?

Thanks again!!



Sincerely,



Bella116