A stramisbus (turned eye) and amblyopia (a lazy eye)

Matilda (3.5 years old) has both a stramisbus (turned eye) and amblyopia (a lazy eye). She’s had two rounds of double eye surgery, removing 11mm of muscle from her eyes, to straighten a turn that was originally 35 degrees, and is now approximately 10degrees. Her eyes are still so unstable that we get checked with a paediatric ophthalmologist every three months.

At two years old, when Matilda was first diagnosed, the lazy eye had caused loss of vision in her weak eye. This vision has now returned, but we have to patch her strong eye for two hours every day to strengthen the muscles in her weak eye.

Patching is a bit of a nightmare with a three-year-old… Matilda hated the adhesive patches and finds it uncomfortable. It’s basically two hours of tears. Hopefully, that will all change today, with her new reusable fabric patch. In a stroke of good fortune, her new book “The Patch” by Justina Chen Headley also arrived in the mail today – about a little girl with purple glasses and a pink eye patch, who exclaims, “but ballerinas don’t wear eye patches!” The perfect book for our little ballet loving superstar.

"Mum! But ballerinas don't wear eye patches!"