The Side Eye Queen

This post is an informational one. Another look into what’s going on with the munchkin. Over the last 3 years Dallas has earned the nickname Side eye queen. She’s been giving that look since she could open her eyes.  Although it complements the attitude she has developed. There is another reason behind it. As a baby she developed an eye disease called Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).  It is caused by incomplete growth of the blood vessels The smaller a preemie is at birth the more likely he/she is to develop it. While in the NICU she was examined by an Ophthalmologist weekly. I made it a point to always be present for any procedures, pretty much anything. There were times her nurse would tell me it was ok to take a break and that she had her. I believed her 100% and ya’ll know I don’t trust many folks with Dallas.

Those eye exams were always rough to watch. They would take a metal clip and hold her eyes open while the Dr checked everything out. I learned they gave the babies a few drops of sugar water to help with pain before they did a lot of things. I was just as shocked as you probably are. I believe Dallas took all of this way better than I did. Well after about a month she was diagnosed with ROP. The disease has 5 stages with 5 being the worst.It can cause lifelong vision impairment as well as blindness in some children. It progressed over time but only reached Stage 2 before it began to improve. This was one of our many scares throughout her NICU stay. But, we got over that hurdle thankfully. The next one would eventually rear it’s head.

A year and some change ago, Dallas she was diagnosed with an eye condition called Nystagmus. This condition usually stems from a neurological problem. It causes her eyes to make uncontrolled, jerky movements and affects her vision as well as depth perception. I noticed whenever she looked at anything she would tilt her hear or look at it in an awkward position. Learning more about this condition I realized that the reason she tilts her head and looks from the corner of her eyes is because that is the best way for her to focus on what she is looking at to try and see it clearly which is almost impossible. Dallas is such a smart and resilient little one. Over time she has learned how to adapt and figure out what works best to allow her to make what she is looking at more stable. Every 3 months we take that long drive to go to see her Ophthalmologist. This is the same one who has been treating her since she was born. Her next appointment will be in June and this one will more than likely determine if Dallas will have to have surgery to repair the muscles in her eyes. The thought of it alone sucks for me. In these 3 short years she’s already had to deal with so much. But, one thing about having a child with so many different needs is knowing that you may not always like things but,  it’s your responsibility to ensure what’s best for them is always done. I’ve trusted Dr. H with the munchkin’s eyes for 3 years and I know she will do what’s best. The side eye queen just might be losing her crown soon.