I don’t know about your kids, but my youngest has definitely figured out that he does not like doctors. The instant we walk through the doors of the waiting room, into the office, he will sit down on the floor and start to cry. He knows that he does not like the whole experience! So, he is not very cooperative either.
At our last well child visit, his pediatrician had some concerns. I mentioned to him that my son had extreme light sensitivity. And, when I say extreme, I mean EXTREME! He would scream in the car like he was being tortured when sunlight hit his eyes. They would water excessively and he would say to me, “eyes, eyes!” It was heart breaking. He refused to wear his sunglasses. In addition, when we were indoors, he would often complain about his eyes then too. Especially when on his back on the changing table. He would cover his eyes and whine when I would change his diaper, and I often had to do it in the dark to make him happy. This did not seem normal.
So, after mentioning all of this to my doctor, he suggested a trip to a Pediatric Ophthamologist to rule out Glaucoma. I was worried, but also confident that nothing would be found. We had no history of glaucoma on either side of our family. But, we wanted to make sure.
So, needless to say, when we walked through those doors again, he was not happy. But, we made it through the visit. They put drops in his eyes to dilate them. They were pros, and I was thankful for how easy they made everything.
When the doctor came in, my son kept covering his eyes. He did not want anymore people looking at them! Last, when the doctor pulled out his final contraption to take a look, it was a pointed tool, with a little light on the end. My son thought it was a candle. He started blowing that candle out right away. Luckily, this distracted him from everything else, and the doctor was able to finish up quickly. We all got a good laugh out of him blowing out the candle at the eye doctor. He just had a birthday, and has become a little obsessed with candles.
I’m glad to say that his eyes are perfectly normal. The doctor said that he was just more sensitive to light than your average child. I was so thankful for a staff of experienced doctors and nurses who work with kids often. And, calmed the fears of a worried mother! Now, he keeps his sunglasses on.
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