Help!need Advice on Eye Surgery

As the mother of special needs kids, I've had them put under for various things. Everything went fine and they all did great!
Best wishes,
J.
Mom to 4, plus 4 foster kids :o)

My son had convergence problems, which means both eyes don't work together when they need to focus on something close up. It would look like he's looking the other way so only one eye would cross and not the other. He would see double while reading or playing with toys close up like Legos. He was 7 when it was diagnosed and we did Vision Therapy at McDonald Eye Care in Lakeville. The problem is now fixed after months of exercise.

Your son may be a little different because of his age - he would be too young to do the range of exercises done in vision therapy but I'm sure they would be able to come up with something for his age group. Your doctor knows best but I would think surgery would be the last step after other treatments are exhausted. I had a 'lazy eye' as a toddler and my Mom exercised my eye and it went back to normal. Something to think about....

Good luck!

S.

My husband is an anesthesiologist and he said that the idea that anesthesia is riskier than the surgery isn't true anymore. The field of anesthesia has made great advances in our lifetimes, and is as safe as it's ever been.

For an otherwise healthy child (no cold symptoms or other disease) the risks are basically no greater than they are for a healthy adult. Listen to the guidelines your doctor gives you about when he can/can't eat and all other preparations and he'll be just fine. Please do feel free to ask your doctor questions to put your mind at ease, and do a search for tips for preparing children for the experience.

Hi T.. My daughter, 22 mo old now, had surgery on both her eyes back in September when she was 19 months old. Her eyes would only go in one at a time too. The surgery worked great. I too was afraid of the word surgery, but now I am totally happy that we had it done. Her eyes look great. We did not try the patching or therapy, as the surgeon advised it would not help and would be only wasting time. It was hard the first two days after the surgery, trying to keep her from rubbing them, but she was back to normal by the end of the second day. She did not like having the arm braces on either, so I slept with her in the recliner the first night to help her.

Hope this helps, but if I had to do it all over I would. Good luck.
J. N

Hi T. :). My son had surgery (not on his eyes) at 5 months old and was put under. He did well. The anesthesiologist told me that babies have a harder time "coming to" after waking than adults. My son was just a bit agitated when he came out, but I was able to console him after about 5 mins. or so. I had crossed eyes when I was a baby, and my mom decided against surgery. I just wish that I could have spoken for myself then. To this day, I have an eye that turns in when I'm tired or straining. I wish I had had the surgery back then! Hope this helps, good luck and God bless!

My daughter had surgery at about the same age as your son for ear tubes. I was also nervous about putting her under, but it all went really, really well. I got to hold her while they put her under. Then when she woke up after the surgery she sat on my lap and drank some juice for about 5 minutes and then she was literally off and running down the hospital halls. Her surgery itself was pretty minor, but she really didn't seem to have any difficulty at all with being put under. The hardest thing is that they can't eat or drink for a long time before the surgery -- it's best to schedule the surgery for as early in the morning as you can so you don't have to try to entertain a hungry, thirsty baby for too long before the surgery. Good luck!

Hi T.,
My son had surgery to correct his eye alignment at 18 months. We saw (& still see, but only once a year or so) Dr. Keith Engel at Park Nicollet & have been thrilled with him & everyone on his staff. I also had my son evaluated for vision therapy at an eye clinic somewhere in the Highland Park area (sorry I don't remember where - it was 7 years ago!), & the orthoptist there agreed that vision therapy would not work for my son. A quick search turned up www.minnesotavisiontherapy.com, with clinics in Mpls & Maple Grove. I too wanted to avoid surgery if possible. That said, my son's surgery was not a huge deal, and was pretty successful. The anesthesiologist put a vent tube in just as a precaution, since his access would be limited while they were operating on my son's eyes. That ended up being the hardest part of my son's recovery; his throat was sore for an hour or so, and he was very unhappy about it!

Please don't hesitate to get a second opinion if you're not entirely comfortable.

Good luck!

No advice on the eye surgery or condition, but my son had surgery with general anesthesia when he was 15 months. That was 12 years ago so I'm sure they've made advances since then. He was fine with no complications. He was very crabby when he woke up, which was difficult to watch, and then very tired, but his surgery (out patient) was at 7 and we were playing outside by mid afternoon. We were given the option of being with him when he "went under." I declined because I didn't want to watch, but my husband went with him. Although there are always some risks and possibilities of complications, if surgery is what you decide your baby needs I wouldn't let the anesthesia concerns stop you.

Hi T.-
I'm a bit confused. When I was 18 months old, I too had a "lazy eye" (one eye crossing in). This was genetic. I wore eye glasses from 18 months until age 7, and then the eyes corrected themselves. No surgery. I'm over 40 now and haven't needed glasses since (knock on wood). None of my family ever had eye surgery either.

I'm no expert, but I wonder if you should get a second opinion on whether your son really needs surgery in the first place?

My son had surgery on both eyes at 15 months to unblock his tear ducts, and both going into and coming out of anesthesia was completely uneventful. The nurses and anesthesiologist warned me that he might thrash around or spasm as he went under, but he just sat there with the mask on until he drifted off, and they laid him down and he was asleep. He also experienced none of the possible side effects they warned me of after he woke up. I nursed him within five minutes of him waking up, and he had a normal lunch at home within a couple of hours. He also did not seem at all uncomfortable from the surgery itself. I realize the surgery your son may have is a little more complex, but I just wanted to let you know that I was most worried about the general anesthesia, too, and this turned out to be not an issue at all!

i have a four year old daughter who was born with a cataract. she has since had 6 eye surgery's. im not gonna tell you its not heart wrenching to give your baby to the nurse when they come get them for surgery, but if you have a good doctor, they can do amazing things.. unfortunately our first dr. left too much scar tissure in her eye and now she will forever be blind in it but shes never known any different. we found a wonderful dr. in south carolina who is the best in the country. his name is marion edward wilson he works out of musc, if your unsure maybe a second opinion? i dont know where your located, we are in illinois so its about a 16 hour drive for us but we go once a year! good luck and i hope all goes well for you and your baby!

Find a health professional at the nearest hospital with a "Critical Care Pediatric Anesthesiologist" and make an appointment for a consult. Ask them to talk to you about the dangers of general anesthesia for a child that young. You will get a lot of good, helpful information from them if they really know what they are talking about.