Blessed Vision

We went to see the ophthalmologist last week.

This is not exactly a rare occurance around here. My husband wears glasses and I wear contacts- we're each supposed to get checked out every couple years. But C? She needs to see the eye doctor at least every six months.

The verdict?

Her eyes got worse- significantly worse. These numbers will mean nothing to you unless you've dealt with a vision prescription before, but her eyes are -14.5 and -17.5 diopters. Yikes. The only chart I could find online that would attempt to approximate what that would be in terms of "20/?" guessed that her eyes are at about 20/8000. That's right- a person with healthy vision can see at EIGHT THOUSAND feet what my little girl sees at twenty. I can't even fathom (and my eyes are FAR from perfect...)

We are so lucky.

She is so blessed.

Almost four years ago, on March 22, 2006, I received the phone call that she needed to be transported to Chicago to undergo surgery with one of the top retinal surgeons in the country- and one of only a handful who operate on babies not yet at term. At the time, there was an 85% chance she would go blind- her retinas were steadily detaching and, well, you can't see without an intact retina.

The surgery was successful.

Some people may not walk away from an ophthalmology appointment that yields that kind of script with a smile. I did.

Because, after all is said and done, our new pediatric ophthalmologist sat back and told me:

"Her retinas look perfect. Dr. Shapiro did an amazing job. I see no gaps or tears. It's some of the best work I've ever seen."

I am so grateful.

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This post is linked to Gratituesday, hosted at Heavenly Homemakers.