Noah had his first eye examine with Dr. Mark Bordenca from Eye Consultants of Atlanta at CHOA (Cumming location) last Monday. It was such a big appointment and honestly I had been dreading it-not the outcome but the exams it involved.
I brought in back up (Beckett). He is such a great brother to Noah and has learned to share and encourage in a way most 3 year olds cannot. He even let Noah hold his Spiderman car in the waiting area. Noah was his inquisitive self with Dr. Bordenca asking questions and telling him we would "go get ice cream after, ok?". He sat in the chair all by himself and was so patient. He did cry when his eyes were being dilated for about 7 seconds (literally the doctor counted and said this was normal).
In the end I came away knowing even more about Noah's eyes-diagnosed strabismus and nystagmus-and his true acuity. Dr. Bordenca felt like Noah would be an excellent candidate for a minor surgery (to turn his eye muscles slightly), possibly wear glasses in the future for his far-sightedness but hardest to hear of all-that he is very likely "legally blind". His vision is something that will be checked again in 2-3 months.
At this point I am left feeling sad for my son. Those that have met him will probably be surprised to hear he is considered legally blind. I'm right there with you. :) Will he ever drive? Probably not. Will he live a full and wonderful life and see much more than most children with albinism? Absolutely. The diagnosis means Noah could see at best 20/200 with corrected vision. It is a visual field that is limited to 20 degrees. For instance, a "normal person" has vision of 20/20 and can stand 200 feet away from an object and see the finest detail, someone who is legally blind like Noah will have to move up to only 200 feet away to see the same detail.
Noah's next assessment will be one for eligibility at the Center For The Visually Impaired in Atlanta. They have a wonderful BEGIN program and a staff that is very knowledgable about functional acuity. I really think Noah sees too well to qualify for their early childhood program but I hate to pass up any opportunities for him.
