First time child’s eyes were dilated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oldest was an early preemie, so maybe at 32 weeks gestational age in the NICU. Very traumatic.

Youngest has never had it done; always passes vision screenings. Eye dr of older one says no reason to do it now.

Was the dilating traumatic, or the NICU experience.

My kid had his done before a year because of a lot of steroid use for asthma. It wasn't traumatic at that age.

The eye exams are super traumatic for the babies. They always have issues after (desat, etc).

How can putting drops in the eye be traumatic? There is absolutely no pain.

It was the whole exam. It was so traumatic. This is a known thing in the NICU. My preemie was intubated, had IVs, a minor surgery, CPAP, shots, and lots of other stuff.

The eye exam was the worst and caused the most desats (which indicates stress).

Maybe for kids who've been through the NICU but a regular eye exam with dilation is not a big deal for most kids. The worst part is that it takes so long since they have to wait 45 minutes or so after the dilation to finish the exam. They can't see much so trying to keep a toddler/preschooler occupied when they can't look at books and it feels weird to do much else is the hard part.

I think PP is talking about ROP testing done still in the NICU. It's a procedure where they use clips to hold the baby's eye open, and use an instrument with a bright light. For a newborn with an immature nervous system (PP said their kid was 32 week gestation, meaning they weren't supposed to be born for another 2 months), who is easy over stimulated, and usually protected from light and spends a lot of time with their eyes closed, I'm sure it's traumatic.

On the other hand, I'm the PP with the 9 month old. My kid was a lot older and stronger than a 32 weeker. He got the drops snuggled in my arms, a place where he felt safe and comfortable, and then the exam was different because they were looking for other things. It wasn't traumatic. I can't imagine it would be traumatic for OP's kids who are old enough to have things explained.