Axel is seeing more clearly now, thanks to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers who provided a vision screening at Axel’s preschool. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers came to the UW-Milwaukee preschool Axel was attending and administered free vision screenings. The screening showed that Axel had very poor vision in his right eye and it was recommended Axel see a pediatric ophthalmologist to help correct the problem.
At his visit to the pediatric ophthalmologist, Axel and his parents learned that Axel has amblyopia. Axel’s mother, Kelly, responded with surprise:We had never seen him struggle, we didn’t see the lazy eye, and honestly weren’t sure if we could even believe it could be this bad without our knowledge. I will add that my husband is a physician, and he was even skeptical. How could we not catch this?
Axel’s pediatric ophthalmologist prescribed glasses and patching for 9 hours a day. Patching his “strong” eye will force his affected eye to work properly and may correct his amblyopia for the long term. Now, Axel’s vision is 20/25 in his right eye with glasses and he only needs to patch for 4 hours a day.
Early screening and follow up care has been critical for Axel. His doctor believes that Axel’s eye would have started to stray and his vision would not have improved like it has if he had waited even a year longer before seeing a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Both parents are incredibly thankful and appreciative that Prevent Blindness Wisconsin was able to find Axel’s vision problem early on. “We are so fortunate that Prevent Blindness Wisconsin found Axel’s amblyopia when they did – we would have never known, as he passed his eye chart tests yearly” at his well-child exams.
With the early detection of his amblyopia by the Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers, Axel continues to enjoy his favorite activities such as swimming, fishing, and skiing, with healthy vision. Axel enjoys playing sports and biking with his brother Erik.