Abel's Eyes

Abel's new glasses came today. He's not thrilled, really. Surprisingly he kept them on from the time we picked them up at 4:30 until he went to bed at 9:00! Oh, believe me, he asked many times for us to take them off. Every time he pointed to them, making his worried sound, we just said, "Yep! New glasses! Good boy!" to which he would grin and walk away.

I wish I'd gotten a video of him in the first 30 minutes he had them on. I almost rear-ended another car because I was watching him in the rear view mirror and laughing hysterically! He was trying to see the glasses on his face - while wearing them - but without touching them. Crossing his eyes to see them on his nose, looking up at the top of the frame, looking down at the bottom, looking both directions to see the tip of the temple, turning his head from side to side but keeping his eyeballs in one place to look out different parts of the lenses. Beyond hilarious!!!

He walked around with this face for a couple of hours. LOL

When a person's vision has been bad for years, the brain learns how to interpret the information from the bad image it's given. Put glasses on and the brain has to relearn HOW to see, because now it has a different quality image to look at. The brain has to learn how to interpret this new information. So, when you put glasses on a kid for the first time, no, they can't see better. They see worse until the brain adjusts. (this is why all you parents of little kids with DS have a hard time getting your kids to wear new glasses!) For kids who have one eye that isn't really working (both Asher and Abel), their depth perception without glasses is not very good. They've learned to walk, run, and live life in general without it. Now suddenly a step is popping up at them, or uneven ground. They have to relearn how to navigate uneven surfaces. Thankfully, by keeping the glasses on as much as possible the first few days, the brain quickly adjusts. Abel did great keeping his on today, so within a couple of days he will be like Asher, and wanting his glasses on the moment his feet hit the floor!

Here's a quick video. You'll hear Abel's worried noise, as well as the "laugh" that is not really laughter but how he expresses anxiety. When we're out in public, these noises are constant. At home it's only when there is something new going on. Normally he's moving 100 mph. The new glasses slowed him down a bit. ;-) I'm sure in a couple days he'll be back to warp speed.

I couldn't leave anyone out of the pictures.

Axel trying to be serious. 

Asher has more facial expressions than any child I've ever met.