Eyesight - hormones

[jb1964]

Hi,

 

Don't know if anyone can offer any help on this.

 

My daughter had perfect vision until just over a year ago. In May last year her eyesight suddenly went awful she had an eye test and was -0.75 in both eyes and started wearing specs (which she could then see everything). In less that one month from then she suddenly couldn't read the blackboard in school again and we took her for another eye test - and her eyes had gone to -1.50. These past few weeks she has been struggling again and she had her follow up appointment last week where her eyes are now -2.75. She has struggled with the lenses because they are such a jump (feeling sick and dizzy etc) but is now managing ok.

 

I can remember reading something a while ago saying that sometimes hormonal changes can cause eyesight differences - and during this past year she has had a massive growth spurt and puberty. My father took her to the optician so I didn't get an opportunity to talk to anyone about this.

 

Has anyone else had these kind of problems with their childrens eyes during their teens etc - and do they settle down? I guess I'm worried that she's going to be wearing 'bottle top' thick glasses within the next year and will have to for the rest of her life.

 

Many thanks,

Jb

[tabz2711]

Hi,

 

Don't know if anyone can offer any help on this.

 

My daughter had perfect vision until just over a year ago. In May last year her eyesight suddenly went awful she had an eye test and was -0.75 in both eyes and started wearing specs (which she could then see everything). In less that one month from then she suddenly couldn't read the blackboard in school again and we took her for another eye test - and her eyes had gone to -1.50. These past few weeks she has been struggling again and she had her follow up appointment last week where her eyes are now -2.75. She has struggled with the lenses because they are such a jump (feeling sick and dizzy etc) but is now managing ok.

 

I can remember reading something a while ago saying that sometimes hormonal changes can cause eyesight differences - and during this past year she has had a massive growth spurt and puberty. My father took her to the optician so I didn't get an opportunity to talk to anyone about this.

 

Has anyone else had these kind of problems with their childrens eyes during their teens etc - and do they settle down? I guess I'm worried that she's going to be wearing 'bottle top' thick glasses within the next year and will have to for the rest of her life.

 

Many thanks,

Jb

 

Hi Jb

my daughter went through a similar experience, she had had her eye tested at school and was fine, we went to church on Xmas eve and S could not see the song numbers on the board that were very big. As soon as we could we made an appointment and S got glasses no one in the family wears glasses. When she had checkups frequently at first they had to keep changing the lenses for stronger ones and I was very worried like yourself. But over the past few years her eye sight has stayed the same and she has the same prescription. I was very worried that she too would be wearing really thick lenses. How old is your daughter?

[jb1964]

Hi Tabz,

 

She'll be 13 next month - I just wondered when is it going to stop getting worse.

 

Thanks,

Jb

[oracle]

Can I ask how good your optician is and also if they mentioned anything about the shape of your daughters eyes? I ask because this happened to David and he has a condition called Keratoconus. It is quite rare and not directly related to ASD but it is related to allergies. I firmly believe that the Optician that we used for years missed the KC. We changed to another Optician and they spotted it at the first exam. I am not posting this to worry you but with something like KC you need to catch it asap.

 

Oracle

[Zemanski]

I was 14 when this happened to me and my eyes got worse through my teens but not dramatically (my prescription isn't particularly strong), once I was into my 20s they settled and have hardly changed in 20 years.

 

Z

[Ian Jordan]

its a normal change - myopia development at around 13 is common and will stabilise at around 16

[Tally]

I became quite rapidly short-sighted at a similar age.

 

At 24, I am becoming more short-sighted, but at a much slower rate.

 

You can get extra-thin lenses now. They are more expensive than the normal ones, but are gradually coming down in price. I wear standard lenses with a -4.5 prescription, and they are not like bottle tops

[Pippin]

As Ian said, it can be quite normal at this age....However, dont be afraid to take her back for tests a lot more frequently than normal (every month or so - or whenever she feels she needs it). Also, if her general health is not as good as normal get her checked for diabetes by your GP. Unlikely, but a vague possibility.

[jb1964]

Many thanks for all your replies - I think you've all managed to calm my worries down.

 

Oracle

She has been seen by two different opticians - after her initial prescription last year (-0.75) - when I took her back the following month because she couldn't see - they told me there was no difference in her eyesight - which caused massive problems for my daughter because she couldn't see the blackboard in school and she felt like no one was believing her and we weren't doing anything to help her - so we took her to another optician for a second opinion - who said her prescription had changed to -1.50.

 

Thanks again,

Jb