Field Notes

The big problem when treating children with reduced vision, is that it’s impossible to really know what kind of adjustments to go for. Ever since we first learned that Aron had cataracts, when he was just a day old, we have been learning that the doctors are doing their best, but that pretty wild guesswork is involved. There is not much that can be done before  the child is big enough to communicate itself what works and what doesn’t.

For Aron that happened about a month ago, when we visited the St:Eriks eye-clinic for kids for the last time. He did a very good test and much to our chock was prescribed with glasses instead of what we had been expecting: another batch of contact lenses.

Thinking back on the time putting in and taking out contact lenses on Aron, its hard to understand that that period is now over forever. For brief periods in his life it has been easy to manage the lenses, but for the great majority, it has been very very hard. Imagine having to make your baby cry, twice a day, forcing lenses into his eyes or trying to remove them, while he is trying his hardest to keep his eyes shut and release himself from my grip. Heartbreaking is the word.  Last summer he was talking to himself in his crib, like he does sometimes when he cannot go to sleep.  We were just about to go to sleep ourselves, and we heard him say.  ”they hold me.   and my eyes hurt.”

So today, for our dearest kid Aron, its time a new chapter. Thankfully he spotted a few other kids also getting glasses when we were at the shop, it made it a lot easier for him as well to make up his mind and accept what was going on. He chose the pair himself, with a bit of guidance from us, and he was terrificly patient today when the girl from the shop was trying them on and adjusting.

He wore them as he left the shop, and just stood and looked at people passing by, details on walls, Christmas decorations, obviously seeing things better than ever before.