Esophoria?

[Shananigan]

Hi everyone! I'm new around here.

My dd8 was just diagnosed with esophoria. Has anyone heard of this? It has to do with the muscles in her eyes. I'm wondering if this could have anything to do with her struggles with handwriting. The doctor said she shouldn't read for more than 30 minutes at a time--or do any detailed work, even with the new glasses.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Shananigan

[Honeysmom]

Hi Shananigan and welcome!

I don't think that it would affect her handwriting. Esophoria is not a motor function, so her handwriting should not be affected by it.

How did the eye doc decide to treat her? Is she in new glasses or biofocals? This is an eye condition that should not be taken lightly. I can get worse due to strain and natural coping mechanisms on her part. It can also lead to Amblypoia, aka Lazy eye. Here is a website that should be able to anwser a few questions about why this is important.

www.preventblindness.org/children/amblyopiaFAQ.html

I have this problem myself, and it was never properly corrected as a child. Now I have to wear bifocals and I am only 26! They are supposed to help "retrain" my eyes to some extent to prevent further damage for a while, but eventually I will lose vision in my left eye.

I would be concerned if his only approach to this is not using the eye. Eventually she will have to for school. Treament and any possible correction are the best courses of action for this problem.

Also, what kind of eye tests did he do? Was it just a standard vision test, or others? Things that are hard for me to do is pretty much anything that requires me to concentrate on small printing or trying to sew b/c you have to focus so much to keep your eyes from crossing when they get tired.

Good luck, I hope the site helps....Becky ;D

[Shananigan]

Honeysmom,

I took her for a regular eye exam, since the school examiner told us she might benefit from glasses. The eye doctor said her vision was fine, and then did this muscle test. Not sure what he did. Apparently, it showed a 5% difference in one eye. He said this was significant, but I have nothing to compare it to. I don't know this doctor, but he was just the guy at the local Wal-Mart vision center. A retired optometrist putting in two days a week. After looking up the web site, I'm getting the idea I might want to ask our pediatrician for a referral to the opthamologist?

In any case, he prescribed reading glasses with a 2x magnification, and recommended not reading (or doing any fine work) for more than 30 minutes at a time. He wants to see her again in 4 months to see if it changes.

I'm concerned, because it takes us sooo long to do schoolwork already (because of the ADD). We do independent study, so I can control how much time she's reading and whatnot, but the time issue sure makes things more complicated. Lots more to think about. But again, from the website, it looks like I need to think about it!

Would you recommend seeing an ophthamologist? And how long would you consider a "rest" for her eyes before I can let her start reading again? Reading is about the only thing she likes to do in school. GRRRR!

Thanks for your help. Somehow, when I'm on this forum, I don't feel so alone and confused with my kids.

Shananigan

[Honeysmom]

If she was my child I would take her for a second opinion. I think starting with another regular optomitrist would be a good place to start. If you could find one who has a private practice or who is hooked up to a decent hospital in your area. The man at Wal-mart is probably great for everyday check-ups, but since he is retired he may not be up on the latest information. (Not to knock Wal-mart, it is like my 2nd home)

I have no idea how long to let her eyes rest between reading intervals. My eyes get sore if I wear the wrong pair of glasses (still resisting those bifocals) and take a few hours to feel good again. That doesn't sound very productive for her.

Not to mention, reading is so important, and if she likes it, it must kill you to tell her not to do it. That is too bad. I definately would get a second opinion, if warrented they will suggest a specialist from there. Good luck!!! Hope it truns out ok for her....Becky

[StrugglingAgain]

My older son had strabismus. I first noticed it when he was about a year old and it got progressively worse. We did the glasses, we did the eye exercises...to no avail. When he was four he had eye surgery to correct it prior to going to kindergarten. It was scary, but an absolute must.

[mskris]

Esophoria is the tendency for the eyes to turn inward and is caused by muscle imbalances. According to the Merck manual, 16th edition, unless these imbalances are large, there are few symptoms and the brain tends to fuse the images from each eye.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd go to an ophthalmologist, rather than another optometrist. I am biased toward "real" doctors, though! LOL...

It doesn't sound too bad or like your dd is having any negative effects from this condition, but check it out further just to be sure.

kris