Caroline's Eyeballs...

Today Caroline and I went to see her pediatrician, Dr. Brown, to get the 2nd round of the flu vaccination. She only cried for a few seconds and then was fine. After her shot Dr. Brown (who is by far one of my most favorite doctor's EVER) checked out Caroline's eyes. Caroline's teacher as well as Matt and I have noticed lately that Caroline squints a lot and tilts her head to the left side. I wasn't overly concerned by this because I just thought it was a little habit she picked up. However, since we were already at the doctor's I thought it wouldn't hurt to have her eyes checked out as well. So, we did. After her initial exam, Dr. Brown referred Caroline to a pediatric ophthalmologist and told us we should get her in to see him ASAP. Yes, I was a little concerned, but I just thought the worse case scenario, she has a lazy eye and may need a patch or glasses.

Dr. Brown told me to call Dr. Burke, who happens to be the chief pediatric ophthalmologist for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She told me to tell the office manager at the ophthalmologist's office that Caroline's red reflex examination was of concern in her left eye. Of course, I had no idea what this meant, but once I said it to the office manager, she said, "oh my, we'll get her in here ASAP." So, immediately I was a bit concerned, but not overly. Well, we show up to the doctor's around 3pm, and walked in to the most AMAZING doctor's office I have EVER been in in my life. The waiting area was like an amusement park for kids. Lots of toys, books, computer games and even a little movie studio. That was just the beginning, then we went into the exam room and was greeted by the most wonderful doctor I have ever met, Dr. Miles Burke. The exam room looked like a toy factory! Caroline was wide-eyed and extremely happy! He had this peddle on the floor that he would press on and a different animal and/or tv would turn on and make noise and move, so that Caroline would turn her head and he could look in her eyes. She did great! At the end of the exam, he said she was PERFECT. No issues at all. Apparently, the red reflex exam is used to screen abnormalities of the back eye, including retinoblastoma, which is cancer of the retina. He told us this was Dr. Brown's initial concern and she and Dr. Burke just wanted to rule this out. THANK GOD she doesn't have this! I am glad I had no idea what a red reflex exam was used for until after she got a PERFECT score at the ophthalmologist. He said she may have a lazy eye, but he couldn't really tell. He said it could present itself further as she gets older, but for now, there is no concern about a lazy eye.

I have to say, that although this experience wasn't anticipated today, I am so glad we were able to meet this AMAZING doctor. Hands down, this doctor, Dr. Miles Burke, was the most amazing doctor I have ever met...and it was a 30 minute meeting. He seems so passionate about his profession and the children that he meets! I highly recommend him to anyone who needs a pediatric ophthalmologist. And for that matter, while I'm plugging Dr. Burke, Caroline's pediatrician, Dr. Elizabeth Brown, is also amazing! She came highly recommended to me while I was pregnant and has truly been a blessing! She is so welcoming and thorough! She loves all the kids she sees and is so much fun!

The bottom line today is we are truly blessed to have a happy, healthy little girl, who has been the greatest addition to our lives. Caroline does not have any health concerns, which is truly wonderful! However, there are many children who do have health concerns and my advice to all parents, make sure you love on your kids each and every day because you never know what obstacle may come their way!