Please Help me understand my daughters prescription

[Julianarosesmom]

Hi,   My 5 yo daughter got the following prescription from a pediatric opthalmologist.... OD +1.00 -2.00 x7.         OS + .5 -.75 x180.     She is supposed to wear them full time for two months, then we go back and make sure her right eye is seeing 20/20 with the glasses. If her right eye is seeing 20/20, then she may not need the glasses full time. Is her prescription strong?  Is there a chance she can outgrow the need for glasses? Should she wear them full time?  Thanks in advance!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If your daughter cheated during the screening she did not pass the test. If you saw it you were remiss in not pointing that out to the pediatrician or his/her nurse/technician.

Mandatory eye exams has been studied extensively and 1. adds major expense to young families and enormous collective expense to society. 2. studies have shown that properly done that screening by pediatricians/family physicians/school nurses is just as effective and much much less expensive in picking up young children that need a full professional eye exam.  3. mandatory eye exams have been legislated in one state and it has failed to reduce the number of undetected amblyopia/strabismus cases. In states, like Missouri, that have enlisted the school nurses, school districts and primary care physicians in effective (and non-cheating) screening the number of undetected cases has fallen.

JCH MD

[Julianarosesmom]

Also, my daughter "passed" the eye chart at her pediatrician ( I could see she was cheating when she covered her eye). She failed the vep test, which tests for lazy eye. If the pediatrician did not do the vep test, I probably would not have taken her to the pediatric opthalmologist. I think it should be mandatory to have a visit to an optometrist/ pediatric opthalmologist before starting school or even earlier!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

To anyone that reads this. ALL children should have their vision tested by an ophthalmologist or optometrist or screened by a pediatrician about age 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 years of age.  Waiting till first grade is too late for more severe cases of amblyopia.
JCH MD

[Julianarosesmom]

I should also mention that she loves her glasses, I think she really notices a difference when she wears them. I am so glad I caught this early!

[Julianarosesmom]

Thank you, I have a follow up in a month, but I did not want to wait that long for some answers. I was shocked that she needed glasses and did not think to ask these questions at the exam.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

These questions should be answered by the "doctor" that prescribed the glasses. These are generalizations. The RX in the RE (OD) is strong and balances the eye out. Most children need to wear the glasses all the time to prevent permanent reduced vision in the RE (amblyopia). This often runs in families have your other children if any checked.  It's not likely she will outgrow the RX on the RE.  If you can keep the vision up in the RE through age 9-10 then the glasses could be worn part time. Ages birth to 9 years is very important to develop eyes to maximum potential

JCH MD