The Eyes Have It

Ethan's beautiful, expressive, green eyes went for their first eye doctor's appointment yesterday.

Ethan's most commented on feature are his big eyes. They twinkle with mischief and imagination as they take in the world.

I've been meaning to make his eye doctor's appointment since he turned three and finally got around to getting it scheduled. I have been wearing glasses since I was six, and probably could have used them sooner, so I wanted to make sure Ethan's eyes were checked out early. When Jim and I would talk about what features we hoped our baby would inherit from each of us, Jim always hoped our baby would have his perfect eyesight and not my poor vision that requires a rather strong corrective prescription.

We arrived for our appointment and they got us in right away. Ethan was a little disappointed that he didn't have any time to play with their Legos table in the waiting room. To start off the check up, they had Ethan sit in my lap and I would cover one eye while he would identify pictures projected onto the wall. I beamed with pride at his ability to cooperate and identify all of the symbols that they tested him with.

Once the initial screening was complete, the eye doctor came into the room to examine his eyes. Ethan got a kick out of the flashlights that the doctor shined into his eyes and all the little games they played. Ethan passed all their tests with flying colors.

The doctor reported that his eyes were healthy and aligned correctly. He also told us that his vision is a little far-sighted (or near-sighted, I can't really remember - mommy fail) and that being a little off 20/20 at this age is good because our eyes get a little more near-sighted as we get older and this allows for some cushion in his vision. Maybe Ethan really did get lucky and inherit Jim's eyesight.

Dr. Ron Juenemann did such a great job with Ethan. He made him feel comfortable and had him laughing and his little games for checking his eyes. He actually is our neighbor, so Ethan is somewhat familiar with who he is and I'm sure that sort of helped out as well. (There was also a K-State football helmet on display outside the examination room that got bonus points, too.)

Ethan was excited to receive a race car sticker following the check up and he was also given a gift certificate for a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut. I was excited to learn that Dr. Juenemann's office doesn't charge for their first eye check up - yippee!