I had my yearly eye exam recently and I asked when Tristan should see the optometrist as he wouldn’t have the assessments through school. The optometrist said now was the perfect time and they scheduled him in 48 hours later.
We borrowed a couple of books from our local library prior to going to the optometrist so that we could review what was going to happen.
Having An Eye Test by Vic Parker has short two-page chapters that explain in simple and clear language the process of having an eye test, the equipment involved, wearing glasses, and how to keep your eyes healthy.
I Am An Optician in the Caring For Us series by Deborah Chacellor explains the jobs within the optician’s office and describes the optician’s job. It also describes some of the terminology you may hear them use.
Tristan gave us a scare with his eyes when he was just 6 weeks old (and still 5 weeks before his due date). In the neo-natal unit they check babies’eyes for retinopathy of prematurity because they are exposed to light 24 hours a day in the rooms. Tristan had been doing well, but just before he was released they told us his blood vessels had begun to grow too fast. I once had wanted to become an optometrist myself, and am still interested in the area but they wouldn’t allow parents to watch the tests as it is stressful for the babies and they don’t want the parents to see it or interfere. We had to take him back to the neo-natal unit a couple of times again after his release for them to check his eyes, but in the end he was given the all-clear. Still, I was a bit nervous for Tristan’s appointment nonetheless.
We arrived at the optometrist’s office and Tristan sat up in the big chair and the Dr. moved it up to a higher level and had a peek in his eyes. Tristan has always gone with me for my appointments so he know just what to expect. His eye health is just fine, what a relief! Then it was on to reading the charts. The Dr. didn’t sound so sure about Tristan knowing his letters when he found out we were homeschooling, but as Tristan has completed reading 25 library books on his own over this summer with the library challenge, I had no worries about that.
Tristan did very well and had every letter read as requested. He also did well at making his choice of “which one is better: this…or this?” Tristan isn’t always very good at making choices, he prefers to be diplomatic and say both are equally good, but he was quite quick on his choices on this day.
So that’s it for us for another year, we both passed our exams! But that didn’t stop us from having some fun by bringing out the optician’s office we made last summer. Come back again later in the week when we’ll share it with you!
We’ve shared some of our other firsts with you. Have you read about Kallista’s first dental appointment or Tristan’s first shave?
Tina at Mommynificent says
You are such a good mommy!!! How I wish we had a public library for outings like this! This is a wonderful idea and a wonderful post! Sorry I’m so late to pop over! Thanks for sharing this post at Booknificent Thursday last week! Looking forward to seeing what you have to share with us this week!
Tina
Crystal McClean says
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a compliment 🙂 I don’t know what we’d do without our library; it closed for about 6-8 months for renovations and expansion when my son was about a year old and it was awful! Now that the kids are older it would be a great loss to us. Have a great week!
Julie Grasso says
Fantastic resources. I am love anything that prepares kids for procedures, (the nerdy nurse in me). Thanks so much for joining us on the Kid Lit Blog Hop
Crystal McClean says
Please let us know if there are any books you’d recommend for any procedures, we’re a pretty healthy bunch, but you never know what the future may bring! Have a great weekend!
Reshama says
Oh my! I remember that day 🙂 DD was so little but brave! I love books that enable kids to relieve anxiety and think about what to expect. I wish I had found this series early on.
Thanks for sharing on Kid Lit Blog Hop!
-Reshama @Stackingbooks.com
Crystal McClean says
My apologies as I had meant to get this up earlier but became distracted over the summer! Have a great week and I’ll see you soon at the Hop again!
Stephanie @ From the Burbs to the Boonies says
I absolutely adore books that help a kid become familiar with something new or some change in their life. We’ve used them for the dentist, moving, divorce, feelings, etc. An early eye appointment is so important. We didn’t know Brady had a lazy eye until he told us his right eye was “googly.” I took him at age 6 and that was almost too late to correct it. I had thought I would just know if there were problems, but sometimes you don’t.
Crystal McClean says
I hope everything has worked out well for Brady. Eyesight is a tough one as you can see what your children are seeing or feeling. I’m finding books a great resource for all sorts of experiences for my children, and it sounds like you’ve found the same.
Adelien says
Having appointment with the dentist is quite common. I rarely heard one with an optician. I think I need to make one for each of the children as they are often exposed with the monitor or LCD. Your son looks very mature and handsome. Thanks for sharing.
Crystal McClean says
You’re right, you hear about the dentist much more than the optometrist. I’ve just read about how cell phones and tablets can harm eyes due to the light they emit. I hope a future of children with poor eyesight is not ahead.
Missy Homemaker says
How cute is he? We’re glasses wearers here (5 out of 6 of us wear them), so we’ve been doing this for a while. Such a good idea to check out books for the kids to see exactly what they’re going to be experiencing.
Crystal McClean says
I don’t envy your budget. I’ve also had glasses or contact lenses for most of my life, but hubby has had good eyes so far, knock on wood. Libraries are such great resources, we love ours!
Jill @ Called To Be A Mom says
I also had a NICU baby and we had to recheck his vision and hearing. So far he is good in both areas being a little older than three.
Crystal McClean says
I’m so pleased that your little one has great hearing and vision. Children are our greatest cause of worry and concern, aren’t they? they give us such frights. I wish you and your family a bright future ahead -)
Katie @ Gift of Curiosity says
Thanks for the list of books about visiting the eye doctors. These would have come in handy a month ago when I took my daughter in to see the pediatric ophthalmologist! Maybe for next year’s visit!
Crystal McClean says
I hope everything goes well for you next year and into the future 🙂