My 7 year old daughters eyes stay dialated. I have always told her that they look like cat eyes. She has complained now for 3 years with really bad headaches. To the point of crying and feeling sick to her stomach. Her eyes have been checked and she has also had a CAT Scan. Should I be worried that there is something wrong???
K.,
I've heard that sometimes dilated eyes are a sign of malnutrition. You may want to focus on her diet for a while. Is she getting everything she needs? Supplements? Good luck!
Yes, regardless of doctors possibly dismissing your daughter's complaints... assume something is wrong. My daughter had severe migraines diagnosed at just two years old. She had numerous other complaints that just escalated. After being diagnosed in elementary school with depression, everything got blamed on "mental", and they gave her escalating amounts of psychotropic medications... But the depression was just one more symptom of what was going wrong with her (take a look at www.ItsNotMental.com)
She says now (she is 21 now) she is so grateful that at least us parents did not DISbelieve her complaints.
I just wish I was not put off by the doctors discouraging us from finding the medical causes of her ailments, thereby delaying meaningful treatment of her underlying problems.
I would definately take her to another doctor with CT results in hand. A pediatric neurologist is a good idea. I would also go to an area that may have a more experienced facility, such as Duke or Chapel Hill types. This condition doesn't seem normal and, evidently, your child is not feeling well. If I were to get the answer you received, I would pursue it further elsewhere. Doing nothing isn't the answer. There are also pediatric opthamologists that you might consider. Dr. David Johnson is in Wilmington, NC at The Lasik Center, and I believe he once lived in Kentucky. You may want to contact him even if it is for a reputable referral in your area. You need a specialist and if your doctor isn't referring you, you need to move on to the next doctor yourself. I will be thinking of you.
Have her eyes always looked that way or have they just recently started to look like they are dialated? My son (4 years old) was born with a condition called Anaridia. Basically he was born without an iris in both eyes. He has reduced vision, but you would never know it the way he gets around. There are other complications that go along with this (i.e. glaucoma). This condition does make their eyes very sensitive to light. I agree with some of the others that sunglasses might help reduce the strain on the eyes which are possibly causing the headaches or overusing the eyes to see objects could be a strain causing headaches as well. I would definitely keep pursuing the cause and find help.
I know this isn't much help. It would make sense to me, I have had migraines since I was 13, that the dilation may be causing the migraine or a symptom of the migraine. I would request a referral to a pediatric neurologist to determine the difference and request a "prescription" so your daughter can wear sunglasses to school to prevent being overstimulated. Hope you find an answer.
i would ask for another opinion thats not right...
I would definitely ask for more tests, and see if you can get her to a pediatric neurologist. You'd be amazed at what is out there. We went through the same thing with my daughter, and she's fine. My neice, however, went through this and they found multiple problems even after multiple doctors said that all her tests showed that nothing was wrong. She is finally doing really well. Good luck! Oh, MRI!!!!! They find things that CAT Scans do not. Also, maybe a PET scan. Think about it.
K.,
When I was young, my eyes always looked dialted as well, people said I looked like I was on speed. I think my pupils still dialate more than most peoples in reduced light. I would guess that your daughter's headaches are because of light sensitivity. I have always been and continue to be extremely sensitive to light. I wear sunglasses year round, even on rainy or snowy days. For Bright Sunny days, I have super dark lenses, for rainy, cloudy or snowy days I have some lighter color lenses. Sometimes even having too bright a lightbulb in a lamp or light fixture bothers my eyes.
As long as the doctors say she is okay, go with it. Try to find her some good, dark 100% UVA, UVB protective sun glasses. That should help her headaches. Good Luck!
T. Koyn
Yes, you should be concernend. There is obviously something wrong and bothering her to the point where she can't enjoy life and she's only 7. What she experiences now will also shape her for the rest of her life so trying to find an answer is in yours and her best interest.
It may not be related to the eyes either so don't stop there. Is she stressed at school or anywhere else in her life? Stress is a terrible thing and is so damaging to our bodies in SO many ways.
It could be as simple as finding out a stressor in her life and getting rid of it and her problems/symptoms will go away. That happened to me several years ago--I kept having bad migraine-like headaches, stomach pains and my hair was even falling out. I didn't link it to stress related to my evil boss at the time but when that boss quit then all my symptoms went away and I've never had any more problems like that.
Keep visiting a variety of physicians (from internal medicine to even a psychology counselor) until you find an answer.
B
est of luck!!!
If she is worried about and you are worried about it, then continue seeking doctors who can help. Right now you are in control of who you see and what can be done. Now is the time to do this stuff before we have national health care and you can't. Sidebar: People are scheduling surgeries and appointments they have been putting off because of fear of not being able to have it done in the future!
My daughter, who was 10 at the time, had a very barky cough about 1-1/2 years ago. I kept taking her to the pediatrician and they kept saying it was allergies, and kept prescribing something new each time. I finally put my foot down and realized that even though I LOVE my pediatrician, they aren't going to take control of my daughter's health, that I have to. I finally made them give her allergy tests and I went ahead and contacted a pulmonologist. It turned out she didn't have allergies at all and they were giving her all these medications for nothing! She had asthma! An asthma induced cough. We now have her on medications and she is almost over the asthma. The doctor said another 6 months and she might be completely medicine free!
My advice is to take charge and see a specialist until you get the situation resolved. Praying for you!
