little four eyes

As we come to the end of January, which this year is Glaucoma Awareness Month, I wanted to post a few resources for families who are dealing with pediatric glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, and while older people are more at risk, glaucoma can occur at any age.  Pediatric or Childhood Glaucoma may be congenital (1 in 10,000 babies in the US are born with glaucoma) or may develop later in childhood.  Glaucoma is also closely associated with cataracts, children who have cataract surgery are at higher risk of developing glaucoma, and so are often closely monitored.  Some symptoms of childhood glaucoma include light sensitivity (photophobia), corneal opacification (hazy gray cornea), enlarged eye and cornea, epiphora (overflow of tears), and vision loss. (Information is from the Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association, and the Glaucoma Research Foundation).

You can find more information about pediatric glaucoma and support support for those dealing with it here:

• Congenital Glaucoma Network - this is a social network for all people affected by childhood glaucoma come to share their story.  There is a forum, blogs, a place to share photos, videos, and links to more resources.
• Pediatric Glaucoma – information on pediatric glaucoma from the Pediatric Cataracts & Glaucoma Family Association.  You may also want to check their Knowledgebase for more articles on glaucoma.
• Children’s Glaucoma Foundation – a non-profit dedicated to supporting children with glaucoma.
• Childhood Glaucoma – symptoms, treatment options, and stories about childhood glaucoma.  From the Glaucoma Research Foundation.

You can also read other posts on Little Four Eyes that deal with glaucoma.

If I’m missing anything, please let me know!

 

Many thanks to Sarah who sent in her account of working with a teacher of the visually impaired. – Ann Z

My nearly four-year-old daughter Isabella has multiple ocular diagnoses: severe hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, mild macular hypoplasia (“underdevelopment of the macula, a small area on the retina responsible for seeing in detail” – read more) , latent nystagmus (“involuntary rapid movement of the eyeball, occurring only when one eye is covered” – read more), and intermittent exotropia (“eyes that turn outward” -  read more).  She began seeing an ophthalmologist at six weeks old and received her first pair of glasses at 15 months. Today at nearly age four, her acuity measures about 20/70 with correction. Isabella also has bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, childhood apraxia of speech (a motor speech disorder),  hypotonia (low muscle tone), and fine and gross motor delays.

Read more…

Ayisha sent in this picture of her beautiful daughter, Salena, writing:

“I am attaching a picture of my daughter, SALENA, age 8 years, who got her glasses when she was about 6 years old for farsightedness and astigmatism. She has been very good with her glasses always and has never broken one.  It has only been recently that she has started getting upset about wearing glasses as the kdis in her class are teasing her.  Her pet quote: ‘I look cute with glasses but pretty without them.’

I live in Pakistan and am a doctor. My husband wears glasses but my elder daughter and I , we do not.

I am hoping that seeing her picture in your photo gallery will remind my daughter how precious she is and that she is beautiful no matter what…:-)) I plan to go through the photo gallery with her and surprise her when she sees her own picture with the rest of the wonderful children.

She is a great dancer and usually called the “rockstar” of any show that she participates in.  She is the first one to start dancing and the last to sit down.  She wants to be a fashion designer, scientist and Barbie when she grows up!”

Salena sounds amazing, and it breaks my heart that she’s upset about her glasses and dealing with teasing at school.  And this echoes one of my fears, that Zoe will also one day start to think that she’s not pretty in her glasses.  So I’m asking all of you who read this, can you leave a note letting Salena know just how beautiful she is?

Ficklets is running a holiday photo contest: “Show us your Twinkle Eyes” – with a great prize pack: 5 Ficklet charms, eyeglass case, microfiber cloth, Amazon gift card, and more.  Check out the link above for more information on how to submit your child’s photo to enter.  Pictures must be entered by December 5, with voting running from December 6 – 13.  You can read our review of Ficklets here.   (Ficklets have small pieces, so I would not recommend them for children under 3).

I had too much fun going through my email inbox these past couple of days.  The pictures everyone sent in of their children all dressed up for Halloween are beyond cute.  So without further ado, here they are, enjoy!  (And if you have a picture you want added, send it my way, I’ll try to get it up – ann @ shinypebble . com)

Goblins in glasses?  Bespectacled beasties?  I’d love to do a post featuring pictures of our kids all decked out for Halloween – or any other glasses-related decorations.  Send me your pictures, with whatever caption you’d like added to it to ann @ shinypebble . com (take out the spaces).

UPDATE:  “Princesses Wear Glasses” is now available from Amazon.  It’s bundled with the cape and crown that were included in this giveaway.

The book I’m reviewing, Princesses Wear Glasses, by Kristin Ellsworth, is not available in bookstores or libraries (yet – update, it’s available now).  It is also sold in conjunction with the Peeps Eyewear glasses.  Ellsworth, founder of Peeps Eyewear, wrote the book to accompany the glasses and sent me a copy to review.  And fear not, if you’d like to read the book, read to the end of the review, because she’s doing a giveaway.  She tells me that she’s working on getting the book released separately from the glasses.  And that she’s working on one for boys.

The story is based on one that Ellsworth told her own daughter when she got glasses at age three.   The story is told in rhyme, and follows Annie, a brave and curious princess who is off to do some adventuring.  Oh, and Annie just happens to wear glasses.  This is one of the parts that sets this book off from many others.  Annie is simply introduced as a princess in glasses.  This isn’t a story of starting out in glasses or learning that she needed glasses..  This story takes place after that initial introduction of glasses that most books focus on, instead taking place when the glasses are simply one of the things that she wears.  I think that stories about getting glasses are important, but it’s refreshing to run in to books that feature kids who are already comfortable in their glasses.  Annie is a fun character, and you have to love a princess who goes off on her scooter (wearing helmet and glasses), looking for adventure.

Annie decides to seek out a dragon because she wonders what makes their scales so bright.  Upon finding one, she realizes that the dragon must need glasses, since he is having trouble seeing:

“I’m lost,” the dragon sniffled.
“And I can’t see far away.
It’s hard to fly.  Which way is home?
What an awful day.”

“I’m sorry you’re so sad.
My glasses help me see.
Try this spare pair from my pocket.
Then you’ll see like me.”

The illustrations by Christina Turner are bright and charming.  They often surround the text, an effect that I think is lovely.

The book is small and thin, it’s designed to fit in a box with a pair of glasses (that match Annie’s from the book) and a dress up princess cloak and crown.  If I had any complaint, it would be that it feels like the binding might break.  Though Zoe’s copy has weathered repeated readings just fine, I wouldn’t expect it to hold up well to a baby or young toddler’s readings.

…

So, now for the giveaway! … Author and Peeps glasses creator, Kristin Ellsworth and I, are doing a giveaway of two of the kits that go along with her glasses, and one book without the kit.  The kits include the book, a princess cape, and a crown – great for Halloween or dress up!  To enter, become a fan of Peeps Eyewear facebook page, and then leave a comment here.  Three entries will be drawn at random on October 24th.

…

Full disclosure, I was given a free copy of this book for review.  That did not impact this review.

…

UPDATE:  I went to random.org to generate random numbers for the giveaway.  Congratulations to Rebecca and Alyssa who won the kits, and Cody B who won the book!

UPDATE #2:  Surprise! Kristin would like to thank every one who participated in the Peeps Eyewear Giveaway,  by sending all of you a copy of the book!   Thanks again for commenting, any feedback on the book is welcome!

I haven’t done a link round up in a while, so here’s a few to check out!

• 

  2012 Visions of Home calendar

  Children’s Eye Foundation 2012 Visions of Home Eye Care calendar (this link goes to the store, but you can see the full calendar by clicking the “View the 2012 Calendar” link).  This is a beautiful calendar, featuring images of children, many of whom wear glasses.  Children’s Eye Foundation has run a photo contest each summer since 2009 to find photos for their annual calendar, and this year’s calendar is my favorite so far.  Proceeds from the sale of the calendar support the Children’s Eye Foundation.

• VSP Eye Pledge.  VSP is asking people to take a pledge on their website to take care of their eyesight.  For every pledge they receive, they will donate an eye exam and pair of glasses to a child served by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
• Pinterest board – Little Four Eyes.  There’s been a lot of discussion on the facebook group of cute clothes for our kids that are glasses-themed.  Christie has started a Pinterest board of images of such clothes.  Check it out, and feel free to leave links to others you’ve found.
• 

  "A Book Lover"

  Speaking of cute glasses-themed attire…I just today realized that all of my favorite t-shirts from Threadless were created by the same designer, Lim Heng Swee aka “Ilovedoodle”, and that many of his designs feature animals that just happen to wear glasses (and many of them clearly love reading, too).  You can see all of his shirt designs here.

I mentioned a while back about the Prevent Blindness America “Most Beautiful Eyes” contest. The contest is in full swing now, and voting will continue until the end of the month.

The winner of the contest (chosen from a group of top vote-getters) will be the face of the Star Pupils program – a program designed to educate parents about the importance of vision health for their children.

I would LOVE to have a child in glasses represent that program.  One of the concerns I hear so often from parents who learn their child needs glasses, is that their child’s eyes will be obscured, that others won’t see their child’s beautiful eyes.  We know that’s not true – that our children’s eyes shine through their glasses.  What a great way to show that, and to alleviate some of those fears: to have a child in glasses or a child with vision issues as the face of Star Pupils.

As voting is winding down, we don’t have a lot of time, but I know this community reaches a lot of people.  Voting is easy, you don’t need register or log in anywhere, and you can vote for multiple entries (but only once a day for the same entry).  Please join me in voting for our Little Four Eyes children!

I know of 7 entries from the Little Four Eyes community – if there are any others, please let me know (email me the link: ann @ shinypebble.com).  Click on the photo to get to the voting page.  Remember, you can vote for all of them, and you can vote everyday!  Please feel free to share with others, too!

I have to admit something;

In my career as a mommy, there have been moments that I am not proud of.

Like this weekend, when I told my husband that he just had to watch the baby for a few minutes. I had something important to do.

(Really, I just had to go down to the kitchen and eat cookie dough straight from the refrigerator).

Maybe not my finest moment.

Or later that evening, when we took my daughter out to dinner.

As walked up and down the sidewalk, waiting for our food to be ready, we were stopped by a couple and their young son.

“I have to ask, how do you get her to keep her glasses on?” Asked the woman, lounging in her chair.

And in the same breath, she choked, “But she’s still sooo cute.”

And, in that moment, I loathed her. Loath is too kind a word. I hated her. I didn’t hate her for the question. The question is fair enough. In fact, it is the second most popular question we get.

I hated her for the implication. For the tone.

Why shouldn’t my daughter still be cute? She is beautiful. She is perfect. The glasses are irrelevant. Are you saying they’re not?

My words were acrid in my mouth as I responded to the woman.

“She keeps them on because she can’t see very well without them.”

And then I walked away.

My blood felt hot and my stomach felt heavy.

I did not feel particularly proud of that.

***

But, if I’m being honest, there was another moment.

A moment that I am nearly too afraid to describe.

A moment that was so painful and confusing and embarrassing that it still makes my heart hurt.

I was taking my daughter for a walk. We strolled around a beautiful, outdoor shopping complex, and as I pushed my precious girl in her stroller, we chatted and she laughed with me. I felt so happy. I felt love.

And as we walked, I saw a pregnant woman sitting on a bench. She looked up, studied my daughter and smiled. But, for an instant, I thought I caught a glimpse of her face contorting…I thought I saw another emotion begin to creep across her features…

And that’s when it happened;

My least proud moment:

I worried that this woman, this pregnant vessel to a new life soon to be born, was looking at my daughter and hoping that her baby wouldn’t have to have glasses like mine. I thought I saw pity in her eyes.

And then, I died inside.

Not because I cared what the woman thought–

not at all–

but because I hated myself for letting my mind go to that horrible, terrible, scary place.

I felt ashamed.

I did not feel proud on that day.

So, I gave myself a time out.

I asked myself why I read sadness or fear in the mist that had gathered in the pregnant woman’s eyes.

And in my time out, I recognized that while I have totally grown to love and accept my daughters eyes,

all four of them,

it still hurts sometimes.

It hurt when the woman in the restaurant this weekend asked me how my daughter kept her glasses on.

And it didn’t hurt because of what she was saying and how she said it,

even though it felt that way at the time;

it hurt because of how I had to answer:

“She keeps them on because she can’t see very well without them.”

It hurts. It hurts that my daughter has eyes that don’t work perfectly. It hurts that at night, when I tuck her into bed, kiss her, and tell her how much I love her, that I have to remove her glasses from her face, stealing her sight from her as she drifts towards slumber.

It breaks my heart.

But in my time out, I realized something else; I am allowed to feel crummy. I am allowed to look into the scariest depths of my anxieties, as long as I can shake them off and go on living. Because the truth is, my daughter can see.

The truth is, she looks adorable in her little pink frames with her magnified eyes.

The truth is, the pregnant woman was probably looking at my daughter with misty eyes because she was thinking,

I can’t believe I will soon have one of those. A child with whom I can walk around and talk and laugh with on a beautiful day. How lucky I am. How lucky they are.

***

And so, this weekend, as we strolled up and down the sidewalk waiting for our food to arrive, I shot a smile down to the woman who had asked about my daughter’s glasses. She didn’t mean any harm, after all. And when Another young couple with a little girl stopped us to say how cute my daughter was, I felt wonderful, and the smile that spread across my face was genuine and bright. And when they complimented her on her adorable glasses and fabulous shoes, I felt happy, as I told them, “Yes, my little girl sure does know how to accessorize an outfit.”

And once again, I felt proud.