How many optometrists does it take to find Evie's glasses prescription? Today I found out the answer is 3. Over the last several months, I thought I noticed Evie squinting. I at first brushed it off because her last retinoscopy (the process of determining one's glasses prescription by watching the direction of the light reflex on the retina) had shown a mild myopic/near-sighted prescription. But I got to thinking that it had been a couple years since this anesthetized exam (aka Exam Under Anesthesia (EUA)), and decided to take her to a pediatric ophthalmologist known for her touch with kids with special needs. It was a battle zone. We tried it the nice way, but Evie kept saying Bye Bye and trying to open the exam room door. I held Evie down while my husband kept her legs from flailing, and the ophthalmologist pried her tight lids open while trying to take 1-second swipes with her retinoscope to see the retinal reflex. After we were all a sweaty me...
While sharing our journey with Down Syndrome, we want to help other parents with our experiences, as well as spread awareness about what it means to have Down Syndrome (spoiler: it means great things!).