His doctor said 2 hours was sufficient, his other doctors said 4 – 6 hours. I patched for 4 days then my son, his father, was successful in taking over. I hope this answers your question; patching seems to help eyes track together and it lasts for 4 – 6 hours afterwards. So I guess after a year of patching everyday it should stick.

Has your son’s PO considered a valve implant? Or is this a last resort? Our daughter’s IOP was up in the high 30’s after her cataract surgery and she was placed on Cosopt drops and an oral medication (Acetazolamide) and this only dropped her IOP down to the mid to low 30’s. She had an iridotomy when she had her valve implant surgery. Her IOP is now down in low teens, thank god. When she went in for her EUA 2 months ago, her glaucoma specialist told us that her valve shifted out of place and is pressing against her cornea. He feels that since the valve is not obstructing her vision he does not want to put her through another surgery, until we have to. This really concerns me because this means we are waiting until there is damage to her cornea at which point she will need a replacement. Her PO is in disagreement and feels she should have surgery so the valve can be readjusted and we can avoid having to replace her cornea. There is a great support group for parents that have children with cataracts and glaucoma, PGCFA (Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association). There is a site http://pgcfa.org and a support group http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PGCFA-Support/. Both sites have a lot of information and support. There were a few posts the other day about corneal replacement and one parent was talking about a new procedure where they use and artificial cornea (keratoprosthesis) rather than a donor. From what she is saying, the keratoprosthesis has a very high success rate, and a the body will not reject the implant. If you need any additional information, or just want to chat please send me an email dblight1@msn.com. Our thoughts are also with you.

Danielle

When was your son diagnosed? How is he doing? Does he have glaucoma in both eyes? How old is he? Before Mia was diagnosed I never even knew that these eye disorders affected babies/children. Since she was diagnosed I feel like I should go back to college for ophthalmology, I think I would have a heads up on most of the students. During Mia’s last check up her pediatrician was asking me questions. I told him that is was very strange having a doctor asking me medical questions; and it was even stranger that I was able to answer these questions.

I know most parents on this blog have problems with their pediatrician not following up or noticing their child’s eye conditions. My daughters pediatrician was great, I wish more parents had the same experience, not that I want any child to have any health problems. Dr. Singer noticed Mia’s cataract when she was 12 days old. I could tell that he felt horrible giving me the news and he sat on the phone for over 30 minutes trying to get her an appointment with an eye doctor as soon as possible, after 30 minutes of trying, he got her an appointment 2 days later. While I was on the phone giving the receptionist my insurance information, Dr. Singer took Mia from me and he was feeding her and holding her with such compassion. I felt like he was treating my daughter like she was his own daughter, not a patient. He really helped me through a tough time, I felt so alone until I looked at him and saw the compassion he had towards my daughter. I wish more doctors would try to put themselves in their patients shoes and try to understand what they are going through.

Please keep me updated n your sons progress.

Danielle