astigmatism

[resh786]

my 5 year daughter has a black spot in her eyes.  i had done her check up for that when she was 3 years old, and the eye doctor said, its nothing to worry as it was the birth mark.  she had watery eyes and tiredness in her eyes, so we took her again to the doctor when she was 5 , than the doctor told that she has -2.75 in the right eye and -1.2 vision in her left eye (doctor said she has astigmatism and also it is more for her age).  i am worried whether it is really too much and whether it will be cured or she has to wear glasses throught out her life.  ( doctor has asked us to use patches for each eye for atleast 1 hour everyday and to put her glasses for six months and to bring her again)

can u please tell me what to do

[AnnaE]

Yes. A pediatric eye MD

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

First- six months seems way to  long to go without getting a recheck.   It should be much sooner, like in 4 or 5 weeks.  Second, she may have to continue patching or another treatment like atropine drops in order to make her  strenthen the weaker eye.  She will likely need to wear glasses or contacts for many years but that is a small price in order to have good vision.  Remember to keep things in proper perspective.  Make sure she is seeing a pediatric ophthalmologist, since these cases require a good amount of expertice and experience to properly  manage.

Michael Kutryb, MD