Eye Exams

One of the worst parts of the babies' NICU stay was the dreaded eye exam.  Alexis and Amelia started getting weekly eye exams when they were one month old. I had been warned that babies don't really like them, but everyone said it was really the eye drops that they didn't like, and that it didn't hurt them at all. I call bullshit.  There is no way it doesn't hurt! It's such a horrible thing to watch as a parent. For the first eye exam, I was nearby when Amelia was examined, but didn't actually get to see it. Then they moved on to Alexis and I unfortunately did watch. It's like they are torturing your child right in front of you. After it was over, Alexis was crying, and so was I. I think I cried for longer than she did.

During the exam they pry the baby's eye open with a metal spreader (don't know the proper name), then stick a metal rod in the corner of the baby's eye to turn it around. It looks horrible (think Clockwork Orange).  But in the end it's worthwhile. When babies are born prematurely and require oxygen, sometimes the oxygen can cause problems in how the eyes develop.  It's called retinopothy of prematurity (ROP). If it develops it can cause blindness, but it can be corrected if it's caught. So obviously it's worthwhile. But it's hard to remember that when they are making your baby cry :(

Both babies are now in zone 3 - meaning their eyes are almost fully developed, and it's very unlikely they will need surgery. But until they are fully mature, we have to keep doing these damn exams. Ugh.

So that you understand my pain, here are sad and super adorable pictures of the babies post-exam.