CI doctor search

[mar]

So I called 1 ophthalmologist today that I got off a list of Ci doctors. It was just weird. Let me explain i asked that I wanted an eye exam for ds and the person on the phone said do they have lazy eye or an issue and i asked if they test for ci b/c I am looking for a more deeper exam then just the regular and she paused and asked someone and said yes they run a test for that. At that point I didn't even ask about the test and how they proceed if there is an issue bc I could feel that she really did not know what ci was. What do you ask these doctors when making an appointment?? Do U specifically say u would like a test for ci and ask how they proceed if it's positive. I know there was one mom ( sorry can't remember name as I am writing this) but they did an evaluation for over an hour and this lady tells me yeah they run a test. Basicallg what do you ask for at the appointment setting and how do you know sufficient tests will be run. I don't want to waste money and time.

Mar

[T_Anna]

You may ask to speak to the doctor or someone who is better versed in their available procedures. My friend's husband is an eye doctor and their secretaries aren't always know what goes in the exam room.

 

T.Anna

[jtp]

My son has CI and still does(but much better). When he has an exam the Dr takes a pencil/pen and holds it in front of his eyes(not real closeto his eyes) and tells my son to look at the pen. He will move the pen forward and backward.

 

He watches his eyes to see if they converge properly and for how long he can hold the eye's in alignment. He also checks for eye tracking by making the pen go around in circles and watches how his eyes follow the pen.

 

There are probably more tests that they will do if you're a new patient, but that's the standard test he gives him everytime we go. He goes twice a year to keep his eyes in check. If things are off he will give us more exercises at home, if he's doing well, no exercises. I sort of know them all by now so if I see any issues I just have him do a few exercises myself.

 

Good luck in your search.

[LNN]

I'm the mom whose optometrist spent an hour with each kid giving them a full eye exam. She did the usual thing where they put all the lenses in front of you and have you read the eye chart and say when things are clear and not clear. However, she also tested a larger variety of prism lenses in addition to the standard ones, then had the kids watch videos and tracked where their eyes moved, they tried on various glasses and had to read things outloud...it was a long exam. From that, we left with prescriptions for lenses. The cost was $200 for an hour appt.

 

The second appt. was a 2 hr neurocognitive/reading evaluation. The kids had to identify the next pattern in a series of shapes, had to find errors in text where letters had been transposed or reversed, memorize shapes and find them on the next page, look down a long string with beads placed at various distances and say when they saw one line converging vs. two lines diverging, they took a computer test where they had to click when they saw certain things, both with and without glasses and/or eye patches. That was $475 and from it, we got a 12 page write up to give to the school, outlining what accommodations the kids should have in a 504 as well as an explanation of how the CI impacted their learning.

 

I got my doctor's name from a friend and our LLMD. I think you had said you didn't want to go to a doctor who might automatically diagnose CI. But from my limited experience, a doctor either "believes" in it and treats or they don't. So you do need to call and ask "do you treat convergence insufficiency and if so, how?" or "are you a behavioral optometrist and what course of treatments do you provide?" The answer should be some combination of prescription glasses and vision therapy. Some doctors put more emphasis on glasses or therapy, but I think the doctor you chose should consider/use both tools in their practice, even if they prefer one tool over the other.

 

It's like Pandas - either a doctor believes & treats or doesn't. You need to ask when you make the first call. My impression is that most behavioral optometrists are small shops. In my doctor's office, there are three people - the doctor, a woman who does vision therapy but also covers the front desk as needed and a receptionist. But when I called the receptionist the first time, she knew exactly what the practice specialized in, what the exams entailed, etc. If a receptionist isn't familiar with CI, then that probably isn't the primary focus of the practice.

[mar]

LLM u are the mom I was thinking of. I have a list of six more doctors that I found thru that site. So I will have to call and see if they are familiar. I remember you saying that it takes an hour or more for the test. So when she said yes we have a test for it it just sounded like a 5 min test especially when she didn't seem to know what I was talking about if turned me off . Quick question . He really needs a new pair of glasses should I go to a regular eye doctor and get his glasses or wait to his appointment with the ci. Silly question but do they prescribe regular glasses also or if they are the ones needed for ci does he wear those all the time and need a regular pair. I just don't want to go out and get a pair of glasses and then find out he needs or is recommended another type of prescription. Thanks for the info!

Mar

[LNN]

I would not get any glasses until after your CI appt. My DD who wears glasses for an astigmatism ended up with a different script and bifocals - the bottom half, which is for reading, is a special prism lens that corrects for CI. So she does not switch glasses. The top part of the lens is for distance (non-CI), the bottom part for close up work (corrected for her CI issues).

 

My DS does not need "regular" glasses and his bifocal has the top part regular glass (not correcting for anything) and the bottom portion is a prism lens for CI. This keeps him from having to put his glasses on and off thru the school day (which leads to a lot of scratches on the lens). Unfortunately, he does put them on and off a lot b/c he struggles to get used to the bifocal aspect and since he doesn't need them for things like recess, gym, etc, he takes them off a lot (and they are way more scratched than DDs for this reason).

 

The special lenses were not covered by our vision insurance but the frames were. So given the expenses of this whole thing, I wouldn't bother with regular glasses until after you know what the CI optometrist recommends.

[lfran]

If your DS is really struggling, you may want to ask if they can make him progressive lenses. This is where they blend the bifocal aspect so there is no line. It feels seamless. There are different brands of lenses. I have an odd eye condition, and when I got my first progressives I asked the doctor if there was a best quality lens. He said "Veralux". It has the widest area in the middle (I think). There are probably others by now.

 

Anyway, I got the Veralux and LOVE my progressives. (DH on the other hand, hated his).

 

Most places will give you 30 days to try them and then will remake them as regular bifocals if you can't adapt. But I recommend trying with the best quality lens you can afford, to give it the best change to work.

 

 

I would not get any glasses until after your CI appt. My DD who wears glasses for an astigmatism ended up with a different script and bifocals - the bottom half, which is for reading, is a special prism lens that corrects for CI. So she does not switch glasses. The top part of the lens is for distance (non-CI), the bottom part for close up work (corrected for her CI issues).

 

My DS does not need "regular" glasses and his bifocal has the top part regular glass (not correcting for anything) and the bottom portion is a prism lens for CI. This keeps him from having to put his glasses on and off thru the school day (which leads to a lot of scratches on the lens). Unfortunately, he does put them on and off a lot b/c he struggles to get used to the bifocal aspect and since he doesn't need them for things like recess, gym, etc, he takes them off a lot (and they are way more scratched than DDs for this reason).

 

The special lenses were not covered by our vision insurance but the frames were. So given the expenses of this whole thing, I wouldn't bother with regular glasses until after you know what the CI optometrist recommends.