I really like salt.

* This is sort of relevant to salt. I really do like salt, so there is truth in the title. I am just sort of sick of saying "Eye Update"*

The latest Dr. Cogen visit (#14, I think) was a SUCCESS!!

SUPER LONG POST-READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

First, it was BY FAR the easiest visit we have ever had. (Proof that it does get easier!) We have the visits pretty well planned for at this point. Because they are a bit lengthy depending on how long the dilating drops take, we bring toys/snacks/drink for him & hit up the McD's across the street for breakfast.  And, of course, we always dress him in patched clothing & his new firefighter boots.

Backup to 2 days prior when we were meeting Zack, Amanda & Noah at Chickfila & a random woman came up & asked about Anderson's eye. As the imoms know, this is common practice. Normally, we get one of the following: "What happened to his eye?" or  "My daughter got glasses when she was young, too. She was 8" (anything over 5 is not young. Sorry.) or "My nephew's cousin had to wear an eyepatch for a week once; I know it was hard to keep it on him." or MY FAVORITE, "How long does he have to wear it?" If I could record just one person's reaction when we say, "Until he is 7, " it would be worth it. Anyway, this woman was none of those things. Turns out...her daughter had cataract surgery with Dr. Cogen 19 years ago & now has 20/30 vision in her eye!!! In her words, "You have nothing to worry about if you are with Dr., Cogen." How amazing is that??

Now, go forward to the actual visit. You know that we look SO forward to these visits. Feedback is my best friend. So, I literally hang on every, single word that he says. Here are the main points:

• He is doing remarkable (Cogen's words, not mine!)
• His prescription in his cataract eye has decreased, which is exactly what we wanted to happen apparently. I am usually just nodding frantically at this point, acting like I knew that all along. 
• " I am going to decrease the patching time a bit." ALWAYS (the twice it has happened) said with his back to me as he is writing stuff down in his file. Perhaps he knows I will cry every time? There will ALWAYS be tears when I hear "decrease" and "patch" in the same sentence. 
• He can play whatever sports he wants to one day, will just have to wear RecSpecs ( I was worried, just planning ahead, so I asked this question)
• If you saw the other 2 year olds that we see where we literally have to pry their eyelids open, you would realize he is doing great (In response to my question: what can we do to prepare for the next visit? We play, "Dr. Cogen" with an eyechart I made out of a transparency & a flashlight, read Arlo Needs Glasses  & we bribed him to be good today. In all seriousness, he was a rock star. He sat in the chair by himself, for the first time! He answered the questions & let him shine the lights & do the poking and prodding without even flinching. I was so proud of him. 
• We are focusing on him using both eyes together (binocularity) now, which is tricky because we still have to develop vision. You want to leave the patch off some, but not too much. Sort of like when you are cooking, you can't add too much salt at once because you can't take it back, so you have to add it as you taste it. Unfortunately we really like salt because we were instructed to quit adding salt and LEAVE the patch off 4 total hours.

Dr. C: How long does he wear his patch each day?

Us: Well, it depends on how many hours he sleeps. On a good day he sleeps about 9 hours total, so we should patch 11 to have it off 4, but we usually round up because, "You can't overpatch"

Dr. C: How many hours off?

Us: Well, we know you told us 4 on the last visit, but we are nervous and usually round up, so probably 2, maybe 3...

Dr. C: You have to keep it off 4-41/2. 

Us: You said, "You can't overpatch"

Dr. C: I know. I did. But, now we have to work on binocularity, so you have to leave it off 4 hours. 

It reminded me of when I would get frustrated with my students who took everything literally. But, if I am accused of being an overachiever, I see no better place for the title than in correlation with my kid!

We are so used to the stalking that we have really just become used to keeping it on, which is why we kept it on so much. Remember, for a year he wore it ALL of his waking hours, so we are pretty much experts. (By "we", I mean my mom, of course)

Anyway, GOOD NEWS! Dr. Cogen even gave Anderson a big hug to celebrate!