Vision Screening Results Surprise Parents
Although Alexis from Kansas City was still an infant, her mother took her for her first professional eye exam in the fall of 2009. The doctor found signs of far-sightedness, but assured her mother, Shelly, that treatment could wait.
“Because Alexis has global development delays, we thought it would be a good idea to get her eyes checked, to see if poor eyesight was causing some of her problems,” said Shelly. “We had no plans to take her back for awhile since the doctor gave the ok, and we had other conditions to focus on.”
Just a few months later, the 14-month-old was screened by the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation’s Children’s Vision Screening program at her learning center, Cerner Innovation Kids. The screening showed Alexis demonstrated signs of amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” a leading cause of blindness in children. A follow-up exam with an eye care professional confirmed the presence of amblyopia as well as signs of farsightedness, astigmatism and anisometropia.
Said Shelly, “We were very surprised when she was screened in March and showed signs of amblyopia. It was scary. I don’t know if the first eye doctor didn’t pick up on it or her eyesight deteriorated in that short amount of time.”
Alexis immediately began patching therapy for a month to treat the lazy eye and continues to wear eyeglasses to improve her sight. “It was a three-day struggle to get her to wear them,” Shelly remarked. “But eventually she determined she could see better with her glasses and has loved them ever since. She even gets mad when she takes them off!” Today, Alexis is able to focus on small objects like a dog’s whisker or a particle of carpet, and her improved eyesight is helping her as she masters her pincher grasp.
A Family Connection to the Lions
Although Alexis’ diagnosis was a shock, it wasn’t necessarily unexpected. Alexis’ 85-year-old great-grandfather, a member of the Funk Lions Club in Funk, Neb., has been blind in one eye most of his life because of amblyopia that was never properly treated. Remarked Shelly, “Knowing Alexis is getting help because of a Lions’ screening has meant the world to him.”
Shelly is appreciative of the Lions for their continued support of the Children’s Vision Screening program and is thankful she was able to have Alexis’ screening results the same day she was screened. “With so much waiting with all of her other issues, it was wonderful not to have to wait even longer. It’s just miraculous. I recommend that every learning center and daycare have the program come and screen their children – it can make a world of difference for them!”
