Through the eyes of a child

Today I had one of those work days that reminds you why I do what I do. Every patient that I interacted with brought me a different challenge with a unique lifestyle and a plethora of demanding vision scenarios. It’s good. I get to change with my patients. When they change jobs, we change their glasses/contacts to match their new environment. When they get married, we fit them with contact lenses for the first time. When they go on vacation, we equip them contact lenses so they can go snorkeling. When they age, we get them connected to the best surgeons in town so they can have their eyelids lifted or their cataracts removed. We make sure not to plan cataract surgery to conflict with the birth of their first grandchild. It all comes together and it’s beautiful. I loved every interaction today but it was the last one that left me speechless. I saw a 4 year old boy that was struggling in school, being told he had ADHD and might never be a good learner. His mother looked distraught. She had wondered if maybe his vision could be involved. It turned out that this child has a severe visual deficit and desperately needs eye glasses. With a simple pair of eyeglasses, this child will see a whole new world. It’s no wonder he’s not good at math or struggles to read, the kid can’t see! I would seem distracted and avoid near tasks if I could not see either! The fact that this child has been able to function as well as he has up to this point is a testament to his strong, willing, bold personality. When he gets his glasses…. Watch out world!