Kevin's Eye Appointment

We went back to see Dr. Moussa, the eye specialist, about how Kevin's left eye tends to wander sometimes, and has done this since he was a baby. We noticed that it gets worse when he's tired or upset.

Dr. Moussa's assistant did a basic vision test, and the result is that Kevin's sight is normal. They used an eye chart that had little symbols instead of letters, so it was easier for Kevin. They also did some colour and depth perception tests. His depth perception was a little off, but everything else was normal.

Then, Dr. Moussa himself did some tests in the exam room, just like he had done for Ryan a few weeks ago. After a while, Kevin's left eye started to wander a bit, and he definitely noticed it.

Here's Dr. Moussa's conclusions: Kevin has a problem called convergence insufficiency. It's not that uncommon, but is often misdiagnosed--especially in small children. Basically, it's the inability of the eyes to focus well/work well together on one thing (you can click the link above for more information, if interested). It affects depth perception a bit, so the doctor warned us that Kevin may be clumsy (duh, really? Kevin? clumsy?), and not to stress him out by trying to teach him to catch a ball! He said it will make reading difficult in the future, so it's good we caught it early. This way, we can start treatment when he's a little more mature (in about six months or so), but before reading becomes a big deal at school. Treatment will be eye exercises to improve his convergence and strengthen the eye muscles. When he mentioned that it is a developmental issue and may be related to other muscle issues, I mentioned Kevin's history of physio, speech, and occupational therapy needs. The doctor said yes, that's all linked.

So, we'll see Dr. Moussa in six months, and hopefully Kevin will be mature enough to start some in-office and at-home exercises to help his condition. :)