Last weekend my youngest daughter had a follow-up appointment with the IU School of Optometry about her eyes. They were concerned about her retinas, but hadn’t elaborated as to why. We found out that they were abnormally thin but not giving the usual symptoms. Stating the symptoms are that of someone with “egg shaped” eyes, which she doesn’t have.
Her vision is okay, but she has a prescription for reading and close visual activities at school primarily.
During the exam, they dilated her eyes and then took images of them. While I was not able to get direct copies, I was able to take photos of the photos. Years ago, I was able to take similar photos of my own eyes.
After our visit, they stated that they wanted to have a faculty conference to decide the next steps on the future of her eye health. That in itself frightened me as a parent. She’s only eleven years old, many eye issues cannot be cured sadly. I do not want her to have the weight of such a medical issue so early in life.
However, as someone who works for the IU School of Medicine I felt this issue had past the field of Optometry and entered the world of Ophthalmology. So I reached out to my contacts, receiving a response within an hour. That contact connected me to a Ophthalmologist, who connected me with a pediatric ophthalmologist. I sent the photos above to them.
Their rough diagnosis? Lattice Degeneration of the Retina. I of course started googling my heart out. It apparently happens to between 8 and 10 percent of the population, and can lead to retinal detachment but doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen. They asked I get a referral so records can be officially transferred. As soon as Optometry called me back, I did.
I worry about the future of my little girls eyes, but I feel safe knowing her dad can get the strength of an entire school of medicine behind her. We will have upcoming appointments in Indianapolis.