And the winner in the category for "Nate and Gray's Ophthalmologist" is...

I think we've finally found a winner. Yesterday we took the boys to another ophthalmologist. We really liked this doctor. His office is in Hurst, which is further than we'd like it to be, but much closer than Houston, so we can deal with it. Dr. Packwood was very nice, had good bed side manner, and seemed very knowledgeable. Dr. Packwood sees some cousins, so he has a broader idea of what is going on with the kids eyes. Both boys had a good checkup.

Nate has been under corrected on purpose and we asked to have that changed this time because he will be starting school. His prescription went up quite a bit in one eye. This should make a large impact on his vision and help him in school and sports. The one concern is that he won't want to wear the glasses because they may give him a headache for a few days. We've had differing opinions on how long it will be before Nate needs cataract surgery. The retina specialist, who did Gray's surgery, thinks Nate won't need surgery until he is of an age when most people need cataract surgery (60+). Dr. Packwood said Nate is one appointment away from needing surgery (meaning at any appointment there might be enough change to require surgery) and he would guess Nate would need surgery in the next two years. He did say that one of Nate's cousins has held on to her cataracts much longer than expected, so you never know. He also said that as kids get older its easier to leave the cataracts in because you can increase the strength of their glasses to compensate for the vision lost due to the cataracts.

Gray's eyes were healthy and have healed well after the surgery. During the exam, Dr. Packwood noticed that one eye focused well at a far distance and the other focused well at a mid-distance. He feels that small children should be corrected to focus at a near distance and asked us to have his prescription changed. He wasn't sure if Gray's eyes had changed that much since his first prescription was given or if it was a difference in philosophies between him and the prior doctor. His explanation was great, so while we don't like paying for the new lenses, we feel comfortable changing them.

Both kids will continue to see the retina specialist, Dr. Holz, as well. Dr. Packwood did his training at Baylor in Houston and knew of Dr. Holz. Dr. Packwood said Dr. Holz was an excellent surgeon and understood our reasoning for having him do Gray's surgery. While we haven't specifically discussed it, it seems like Dr. Packwood will be willing to collaborate with Dr. Holz on the best treatment for the boys.

Now that you've learned all you will ever need to know about the kid's eye doctors let me tell you about shopping for new frames with Nate.

Usually we can't stop Nate from trying on frames at Allen Eye Associates. For some reason he only wanted to play with the toys yesterday. Maybe it was because the lady that usually helps us wasn't there. There were a couple of pairs that Kenny and I liked, but Nate was having none of it. He only wanted glasses like the pair he currently has, so that's what we ordered. I just got a call from the office and his frame has been discontinued. The only color still in stock is red, which we're not getting. That's going to be hard news to break. Maybe he'll feel more like trying frames on today.

Our doctors appointments seem to come in big bunches, so in a few minutes we'll be heading to the dentist. Hopefully it goes well. Nate had a the beginnings of a cavity last time. Hopefully it hasn't grown. Gray will also have his first dental exam today.