Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Thankfully, the only problem that stuck around after Willow got over her severe anemia was her difficulty keeping her eyes focused.  I’ve been taking her to get her eyes checked every so often, and other than her right eye drifting outward when she’s sick, tired, or trying to look at something far away, her vision has stayed normal. 

I recently got Willow off the medi-cal program she was on and onto another insurance called Healthy Families.  It’s set up for working class folks like us who earn a little too much for free health services, but don’t have the income to cover insurance premiums.  (Ever try to buy health insurance for a preemie who’s spent time in the hospital for mysterious anemia?)  We get coverage at a drastically reduced rate, and it includes dental and vision.  I took Willow to her awesome new eye doctor last Saturday.  She confirmed that Willow doesn’t need glasses, but she said that the vision in her right eye was not so great.  She recommended patching. 

I ordered some cute patches, KNOWING all the while that it was a total waste of time, because everyone KNOWS that a kid her age would NEVER agree to wear an eye patch.  Happily I was wrong and hopefully they will help save the vision in her right eye.

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12 thoughts on “Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

  1. Shawn

    Hey Jen!

    Spencer has strabismus, and we patched for well over a year. I learned a lot about eyes fretting over him. I noticed his eyes weren’t aligned when he was less than two, and we have worked on it ever since.

    Reply
  2. katie

    Cha has strabismus, too — but perfect vision otherwise. I had it as a kid, too — got my first glasses at 10 months and had surgery at 2 and at 14. My eye patches were just the plain, boring band-aid-looking things. When we thought Cha might need patches, I promised her we’d get her a pirate eye patch — I still think that would be the coolest thing, because I’m really 4.

    Reply
  3. PandaWriter

    I had to wear patches twice when I was little. When I was five, I thought the black pirate eyepatch with the elastic rocked. I was sure the other kids in my new kindergarten would think my parents were pirates. No, I was not cool.

    Dumb, but I loved it. Except in really hot weather, when the patches were too sweaty to bear.

    Reply
  4. PandaWriter

    Oh I was also a premie, and have retinopathy of prematurity (optic nerve dragged off to the side from scar tissue due to being a premie).

    So I see on the side of my eye, not the back. The patches were a waste of time, since I was seeing properly when my eye was flipped out, not in.

    An obscure problem. Now, my eye is out when I’m seeing well, and straight when I’m tired and seeing double.

    Reply
  5. shannon

    I didn’t know patches came in such fashionista designs 🙂 I’m glad Willow doesn’t seem to mind wearing them.

    Reply
  6. Thida

    What cute patches!

    I’m really glad you’re able to get health insurance for Willow. It gives me some hope that if my husband’s company were to go under, I won’t have to move to England with my son just to get health care. Though I think everyone should have access to decent health care in such a rich country as ours.

    Thanks for posting about Willow’s NICU days!

    Reply

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