Matthew’s New Eye Alignment

by Marlow ~ Let There Be Light Posted 2011/03/28 02:10:21

Related Topics: Weather, Fun, Pictures, Time

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I promised some people I’d share pictures of Matthew’s eyes after the operation. So here’s a short blog of a few pictures.

First I have to say, the little devil has learned to time my camera flash. I think nine out of ten pictures I take he either turns his head or shuts his eyes at the very moment of the shutter release. I can’t believe how canny he is about it. I have so many pictures of him with his eyes shut I don’t know if I should delete them or not. If I delete them, I’m left with only a handful. I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so I can take him outside for pictures.

Let me start with an old picture so you can see the difference. This picture was taken on New Year’s Eve.

]http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/040-2-1.jpg

This was taken two days after the operation. You can see some blood in the whites and a little black and blue under the eyes. He’s blowing on a plastic recorder.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/008-1-1.jpg

These next few were all taken within a week of the operation.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/028-1-1.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/043-3-1.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/075-1.jpg

Finally that last one I got a great close up. Not sure why he didn’t blink there. As you can see I think the operation was a success. What we don’t know yet is whether the two eyes are working together and seeing biocularly. We’ll have the ophthalmologist’s assessment in another week and a half. From what I can tell, I think they are.

I include one last one. You can’t really see his eyes, but I think this shows Matthew’s fun personality. He’s actually running here pushing his little cart toward me; I’m backpedalling making believe I’m trying to avoid being run over, and all the while Matthew is squealing with pleasure at the thought of running me down. Little devil. :D

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o123/virgil_015/081-3-1.jpg

He’s such a happy boy.

+39

Angel 2011/03/28 05:48:07

+9
His eyes are looking great Marlow.... he is a beautiful happy baby...
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More polls by Marlow ~ Let There Be Light

Patrioticprincess 2012/01/29 05:45:51

+1
He looks wonderful. I am so happy for you. He looks very happy.

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Marlow ... to Patriot... 2012/01/29 05:51:56

+1
Thank you. :)

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traveler818 2011/12/16 17:32:04

+1
Now that i have a computer again, I got a better look. Wow. I don't remember my son going through a transition like that after the surgery, but that was so long ago. I didn't get to see all 4 before. He is precocious (the last photo). And his eyes look great.

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/12/17 19:51:07

+1
Thank you. Matthew's eyes were severe. Look great now. They have another minor operation on the left eye to do in early January and everything should then be fixed.

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/17 21:02:25

+1
Will you have to patch his good eye? I think I saw one photo with a patch. I think they started with my son 6 months after surgery. I hope they have found a better way.

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/12/18 06:22:47

+1
We've been patching his good eye for a year until about a month ago. The doctor told us to stop. I don't know whether it will need patching again.

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/18 06:47:46

+1
They told me that the critical years were up to age 8, which is how long I had to patch. Maybe/probably from the start, it was 5 days a week. It didn't go well, but I was young, alone, and had idiots like his kindergarden teacher and grandmother say in front of him things like oh, the poor baby, which created a permanent rift in my former relationship with my son, and his total noncooperation. You are older and male, and it is pretty much a given you won't have to deal with that. It is hard on them, no doubt, but to me vision is SO important--no way was i going to let him lose it if I had anything to say or do about it, and he didn't.

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/12/22 04:32:56

+1
They also have better technology now. It's amazing what they can do. He won't have to patch for that long. At least I don't think so.

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/22 19:46:06

+1
I hope not--it wasn't easy to know that I was making it extremely hard for him to see, but the alternative was to lose vision in one eye. I patched til he was 8 because the doctors told me to. They said those were the really important formative years, and that after that, little could be accomplished. As much as he fought it, I am actually more than a little amazed that he still has two working eyes, but threw away his mom, refusing to learn where his hatred for me started.

From then on, I could do no right. I was so poor, but tried to keep up. I had an extra car--it had a really bad oil leak and my commute was many hours a day, but all he had to do was keep filling it to get around town. What teenager (more so back then) doesn't want a car. He did, but that one wasn't good enough. So he called it abuse. And on and on.

How long do you anticipate patching? How is Matthew coping with the patch? My son finally learned that peeking over only lasted until I caught him, so he started chewing up the patches--he didn't swallow them, but he could go through 24 in a day. I was getting them at the store, but we were now up to my entire month's income, so I got bandages. For awhile, I hoped he would enjoy being a pirate, and got him a pirate patch. No go.

Being almost 40 y...

I hope not--it wasn't easy to know that I was making it extremely hard for him to see, but the alternative was to lose vision in one eye. I patched til he was 8 because the doctors told me to. They said those were the really important formative years, and that after that, little could be accomplished. As much as he fought it, I am actually more than a little amazed that he still has two working eyes, but threw away his mom, refusing to learn where his hatred for me started.

From then on, I could do no right. I was so poor, but tried to keep up. I had an extra car--it had a really bad oil leak and my commute was many hours a day, but all he had to do was keep filling it to get around town. What teenager (more so back then) doesn't want a car. He did, but that one wasn't good enough. So he called it abuse. And on and on.

How long do you anticipate patching? How is Matthew coping with the patch? My son finally learned that peeking over only lasted until I caught him, so he started chewing up the patches--he didn't swallow them, but he could go through 24 in a day. I was getting them at the store, but we were now up to my entire month's income, so I got bandages. For awhile, I hoped he would enjoy being a pirate, and got him a pirate patch. No go.

Being almost 40 years, the technology had better be improved. Maybe that is why, in his twenties, the doctor finally saw that my former son's eyes were not aligned horizontally. At birth, his eye was so turned in you couldn't see the entire iris--my photos are packed and I don't know how to post, scan etc yet.
(more)

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/12/26 02:12:01

+1
Hopefully Matthew is done with the patch. I'll let you know if he's not.

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/26 21:27:50

+1
Already!? Wow, there must have been some real breakthroughs. That is good news. It can wreak havoc on the parent-child relationship. I wonder what they do different. I think the surgery cuts the muscle/or...? They then shorten it so the eye gets pulled to normal position. I don't remember a progression--how do they do that? And what do they do to shorten the length of time for patching? My former son got glasses too, which I think he still uses for reading.

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traveler818 2011/11/22 03:29:58

+1
I found it. How cute. I can now go "home" with a smile. Daddy is just what Matthew needs, and Mommy too. I will talk to you when I get my new computer.

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/11/22 12:59:37

+1
Great! I think there may be more you missed. I'll send you links. :)

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dreamwriter12 ✲the libraria... 2011/04/26 21:18:24

+1
Sorry for the late reply on this. It's been ages since I last was on the site, but I'm happy to be back again.

I'm so glad the surgery went well, and Matthew looks fantastic! He is as adorable as ever. :)

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Marlow ... to dreamwr... 2011/04/27 01:42:02

+2
Thank you. Hope you and the child inside you are doing well. :)

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dreamwr... to Marlow ... 2011/04/27 11:27:23

+1
You're welcome! We are doing well. I'm just anxiously awaiting her arrival now, but she better stay put for another couple of months. lol. She still has a lot of growing to do.

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Marlow ... to dreamwr... 2011/04/27 11:48:08

+2
LOL, so you know it's a girl? What month are you in?

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dreamwr... to Marlow ... 2011/04/27 13:57:56

+1
Yep, it's definitely a girl. She crossed her legs the first time, but the second time she had no modesty, so it was easy to tell. lol. I'll be starting my seventh month in a week.

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Marlow ... to dreamwr... 2011/04/27 15:19:50

+2
Great! You;re almost there!

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travele... to dreamwr... 2011/11/22 03:32:13

+2
If not more so.
what a doll.

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CeeCee45 2011/04/17 01:42:01

+1
Oh Marlow, he is GoGeous, he's such a happy baby, he looks like he's so much fun, oh the cheeks, LOL, thanks for sharing the pictures, you proud Dad, I would keep all the photos, they will be fun memories when he's older, Congratulations again Marlow, you and Your Wife have a beautiful son :-)

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Marlow ... to CeeCee45 2011/04/18 18:00:56

+2
Thank you so much for your kind words. He is a cutey. :))) Bless you my friend.

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NZArkie08: In God We Trust. 2011/04/13 19:52:55

+1
Yes, the operation was a great success!! What a sweet little boy!

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Marlow ... to NZArkie... 2011/04/13 19:55:01

+3
Thank you Arkie. He is sweet. At least when he's not cranky...lol. He's now getting to that age.

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NZArkie... to Marlow ... 2011/04/13 19:56:42

+1
glad that you are enjoying him! Thanks for sending me the message to see this!

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Marlow ... to NZArkie... 2011/04/13 20:06:53

+3
My pleasure. :)

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NZArkie... to Marlow ... 2011/06/06 21:17:05

+1
You are welcome!

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/13 03:26:02 (edited)

+1
The terrible two's? Just remember (easier said than done), he is exploring his environment. That statement is usually uttered wryly. Next, he will explore his limits. How many times will he get away with "Why?" no matter what you ask, and more. Parents should, in my opinion, be older, more settled and mature. THe only downside is the energy required to keep up with a toddler. You, however, can give him the values I never learned as a child mom--long story short, a really good start in both life and love. It sounds like 1) He is developing normally, and 2) He has great parents--He is off to a great start in life. This could make him bolder than the average two-yr-old. Properly directed, you and your patience are setting him up to optimize his life. We should all be so lucky.

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Marlow ... to travele... 2011/12/13 19:51:26

+1
Thank you my friend. Glad that you found this. :)

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travele... to Marlow ... 2011/12/13 23:18:22

+1
Me too. :)

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AlmaBoudreaux 2011/04/02 12:35:02

+2
His eyes look perfect now. What a little doll. Thanks so much for the update. It is so nice to get some happy positive news!

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Marlow ... to AlmaBou... 2011/04/04 12:03:49

+5
Thank you Alma. I'm glad you stopped by. :)

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Jackie G - Poker Playing Pa... 2011/04/01 20:42:24

+2
What a doll - he is so damn cute

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Marlow ... to Jackie ... 2011/04/04 12:04:08

+4
Thank you Jackie. He is. :)

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Barefooted Nana ∞ijm♥∞AFCL 2011/04/01 06:21:31

+2
Thank you for sharing Matthew with us Marlow! He is a happy boy who is totally adorable. His eye looks great and I am sure that everything will be prefect! Blessings to you and your beautiful family~ Nana

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Marlow ... to Barefoo... 2011/04/04 12:04:40

+3
Thank you Nana. Blessings to you and your family. :)

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Barefoo... to Marlow ... 2011/04/09 06:25:17

+3
You're the best Marlow! :D

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Marlow ... to Barefoo... 2011/04/10 02:00:57

+1
You're too kind. :) Bless you my friend.

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Barefoo... to Marlow ... 2011/04/16 15:52:20

+1
ty....Love, Peace and Blessings to you and yours Marlow! :)

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VICTORIA 2011/04/01 03:00:01

+1
He's grown so quickly, he really is a handsome little man- and that's not just the obligatory cute baby line- and I'd say happy is an understatement.
God bless you and your family M.

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