First of all, I want to thank everyone who has posted on vision issues in the past. So many of your stories and comments made me wonder about dd5.
She was an early reader (had the ability to read Magic Treehouse at the age of 3, though she would tire after a single chapter). She has always had a deep love of books. They were her favorite possessions from a very young age. She loves being read to and books on cd will hold her attention for long periods of time. However, despite being able to read almost anything, she rarely chooses to read for pleasure. I found this odd.
Her pediatrician screened her at her 5-year check up and said she has 20/20 vision. But still, I couldn't let go of the idea that something wasn't right.
After mulling it over for months, yesterday, I took her to a behavioral optometrist, who gave her a complete exam. The doctor came highly recommended from another family with a HG+ child and I found she really understood gifted kids.
I told her, "You probably think I'm crazy ... dragging a child in here who reads several years above grade level and saying she has challenges when it comes to reading."
Turns out, dd5 does have 20/20 vision. But she still needs glasses. Bifocals. For "up close work" like reading and writing. The main part of the lens will be without a prescription. The lower part will help her eyes focus and aim more effectively. The doctor says right now, when dd reads, the words are jumping around on the page. Amazing for me, when I consider the book she is plowing through right now for her school book log is a chapter book leveled for readers in mid-third grade. And her comprehension has always been excellent. The doctor says she just has to work very hard every time she reads.
Here's the interesting part I wanted to share. The optometrist told me that if she compared dd5 to other 5-year-olds, she may still fit within the low end of "normal." However, she didn't think it was appropriate to compare her with other 5-year-olds when dd5 is essentially asking her eyes to do the work of a 7 or 8 year old.
She said, "If your dd5 was only asking her eyes to help herself cut out large shapes and glue them on pieces of paper, she would probably be fine doing that. In fact, you probably wouldn't have noticed a problem - at least not until much later. But since she is reading and writing and doing math like an older child - I want to help her eyes do everything her brain wants to do."
She may still need vision therapy for tracking issues in the future (she skips words occasionally), but we are going to see if the glasses improve the situation.
And one other note. After reading other posts about the expense of vision therapy, I had fears about how much it would cost to take dd5 to a behavioral optometrist for an exam. I was pleased to find out that my vision plan treated the exam, glasses, lenses, etc as it would any other optometrist.
Sorry this ended up so long. I simply wanted to share my story in the hopes it helps another family in the way all of your stories helped me.
