is my baby blind? please help!

[BraydensMommy]

My son is 4 and a half months. yesterday at the doctor she asked....can he see? i said um..i think so? when i feed him he looks right at me...but when we play and stuff...not really. he doesnt have any interest in looking in a mirror or anything either. he does like to watch certain cartoons and likes to look at lights that are on his toys. she said she thought he might be blind.

so i went back today so she could do more test....she said his pupils dilated fine. and his retina looked good. but she said his response is not what it should be. she said that she does not believe he is blind but thinks something is wrong. so she is sending me to a pediatric ophthamologist.

now my question is...i heard that you dont normally test for vision until the baby is 6 months old? because all the muscles and everything take that long to fully develop. my son was born almost a month early also so i have to realize that he is kinda a month behind on things.

has this happened to anyone? or do you have any thoughts on it? i know not being a doctor you cant tell me for sure but im just looking for any thoughts. please help put my mind to some type of ease. thanks

[Anatresia]

Ari does the same things, but she's only one month so it's early still.

I hope he's okay!

[missychrissy]

I don't know, but I've seen babies with glasses on before, so there must be a way they can determine if they need corrective lenses or not.

He's not blind, his eyes reacted to light. That's a good sign.

(((HUGS))) It's terrifying to worry, I'm sure.

[newmami]

I don't recall any of my kids being interested in the mirror when they were 3 months (I am considering yours is 3 months old as he is a preemie).... and as far as I remember, they do not see colors until they are 4 months
have you tried showing him black & white stuff?? does he react if he sees something, like if you put a toy in front of him and then slowly move it?

If he likes the lights and reacts to them, I would say that is a good sign. Still for your peace of mind, I think the specialist is the best option

Please keep us posted

[hanvan]

I have no clue but wanted to say I'm thinking of you. (((hugs)))

[desertgirl]

I don't recall any of my kids being interested in the mirror when they were 3 months (I am considering yours is 3 months old as he is a preemie).... and as far as I remember, they do not see colors until they are 4 months
have you tried showing him black & white stuff?? does he react if he sees something, like if you put a toy in front of him and then slowly move it?

If he likes the lights and reacts to them, I would say that is a good sign. Still for your peace of mind, I think the specialist is the best option

Please keep us posted

I agree!!

[cali_mommy]

He might have some vision problems but since you said that he can respond to light, he's probably not completely blind.

I'm sorry I can't be more reassuring! But if you catch it early then you can probably treat it or work with it so that he doesn't fall behind developmentally.

Keep us posted, k?

[bellie]

No info, just wanted to send hugs your way.

[babyx316]

One of the triplets is legally blind in his left eye...they did not detect this in the hospital but when I got him home 5 days later I noticed that one of his iris' were bigger than the other so when we brought him in for his 2 wk check up I asked the doctor out of concern and she sent us to a pediatric opthamologist at 3 wks old and he was able to determine it that day. My son has what's called Coloboma of the Iris but actually has it in both eyes which means his pupils are shaped like an upside down pear or a old fashion keyhole. And normally this causes vision problems if they have it in both eyes but he was very fortunate because the defect only affected the optical nerve/tunnel vision on the one but so far they keep informing me he has perfect vision in his right eye and he's only 18 mo. old...we actually go back for another check up next week.
It's amazing what they can determine from a baby for sight at such a young age, they can tell by the way the muscle's are formed, the nerves, everything.
I was scared to death but I still remember at 4 mo. old when he spotted a toy dangling on his seat and he inched his way over for about an hour and finally got it so at that point I knew he was going to do just fine and he has the best balance out of the three:)
My brother wore glasses at 8 mo. old so yes, they can determine very early.
Try not to worry, I doubt he has any issues especially if he responds to lights, and toys but take him for your peace of mind:)

[LisaJ2224]

My niece has very poor vision and has had glasses since she was a year old. They noticed that she startled easily, was afraid if my sister or BIL wasn't holding or near her, and she wasn't exploring her environment. She went in intially because she wasn't using her hands and seeme way behind developmentally, and they discovered that she had a vision issue.

Hugs, and I hope it is nothing--but I can tell you that things have worked out great fro my niece, and all of the areas she was behind in have now caught up.

[Haha07]

My sisters daughter had weird eyes when she was only a few months old....her eyes would stick in one direction and not move like she had a wondering eye one eye would move and the other wouldnt. It was really weird but she is now 2 and she is fine no problems. Goodluck hope everything is fine! I know it's hard not to worry, but be strong.

[swannie]

Just wanted to point out that the original post here was a year old.

[blueberry]

Just wanted to point out that the original post here was a year old.
THANK YOU!!!!:eyeroll: I sure was on my way to responding:laugh:

[ColtsFan1912]

lol. . .i was too :D

[bridgetwu75]

I thought Missychrissy was back.

[tracilyn]

There are a lot of people missing it seems.

[Braydensmommy]

Brayden was diagnosed with Septo Optic Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. basically he is missing the septum pedicullim which is a membrane that works as a transmitter for the left and right side of the brain and his optic nerve is thin which causes him to be possibly legally blind.

they think this condition may be environmental and at this point there is no cure. the only thing that can possibly help is stem cell treatment.

he attends the blind childrens learning center for occupational therapy and I have stayed at home with him until a week ago teaching him every day.

he is doing amazing and is now pretty much at the level of what he should be with his age.

its kinda scary..i was told he may not walk or talk until he was 2 or 3. he started walking right after he turned a year and has a bigger vocab than any baby his age i know.

anyways i just wanted to post an update..i have been busy with doctors and then i saw that there was a few responces...

thanks for your concerns and if you have any suggestions please let me know..im always looking for a way to help him improve.

[cali_mommy]

Wow, that is quite an update! So sorry about his diagnosis, but it sounds like he's doing really well in spite of it and that you are doing a wonderful job as his mom.

[LukeandKennasMama]

Glad to see an update. You sound like an amazing mommy to your little guy!!!

[TripMomma]

Big hugs to you guys...you are doing great!

[Lydia]

Wow, thank you for the update, and it sounds like you and your baby are doing really well.

[swannie]

Ditto! I hope his progress continues.

[cheeksy]

:hugs: Sounds like you are doing all you could do. It is a tough job being a mom already but you are being a real :hero: