Gianna Marie: Sight and Insight

Gianna finally got in to see the neuro-opthalmologist today. I feel like we've been waiting for this appointment since the day she was born! We've known that although G can see to some extent, her eyes do tend to be crossed and wander in different directions. It's been difficult to tell if she has a full range of vision, since she's had difficulty holding her head steady enough to turn it, she didn't follow objects or people well. She's really improved her head strength though lately. The point of this visit was to see if her eyes are being affected by neurological issues and if the fluid in her brain is causing pressure on her eyes and causing them to cross. Since her occipital lobe was affected by the encephalocele surgery, her vision has always been in question. Her appointment was pretty grueling - 3 hours of waiting, and it was a rough exam on her - her little eyelids are bruised tonight from being held open. The neurology fellow who helped with the exam was one of the ones who first saw her in the NICU. She was so thrilled to see GiGi again and couldn't get over how big she's gotten. So after the waiting, the dilating, the patches and the tests, the verdict was all good news: 1) G has a full range of vision in both eyes and 2) There's no fluid pressing on her eyes! The next step is for her to see a pediatric opthalmologist to see if she needs glasses or patches to strengthen her eyes.

Saint Exupery's Little Prince said, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." And we know this, right? The essential things - love, comfort, friendship, joy, faith - are in our hearts - we don't need sight to experience these things. But I have to say, I'm really thrilled that Gianna will also have the opportunity to experience the happiness that vision will bring to her life.