Patches, patches, Ellie's eye patches

We headed to Iowa City Friday hoping to see more improvements in her eye sight.  We hoped we could do less days of atropine, dialating drops.  This wasn't the case however.  Her eyesight was the same or slightly worse.  20/20 in her left eye and 20/40 in her right eye.  Last time she had 20/35 in her right eye.  Anyway, they thought maybe atropine had done all it could do for Ellie so the next thing is patching.  The good eye will get the patch on it so the weak eye has to do all the work, all the time.  So Ellie is going to wear a patch on her left eye all the time for 4 weeks.  She will be checked in a month to see how the progress is going.  Patching 100% of the time is supposed to have quick results.  She is also a part of a study for patching now.  So during the month we are to do an eye test online to see how it's going partway through and if it varies from what they find in the clinic.  They had some way cute patches for Ellie to take home and wear.  This makes it easier for her to agree to wear them.  We are also doing an incentive calendar.  A sticker each day she wears it all day and doesn't take it off or mess with it.  She is rewarded at the end of each week.   

Here are pictures of her the first two days. She wanted to put a patch on the eye of her kitty stuffed animal so it could be like her.  At least she is taking it well right now and still smiling.  She wasn't embarassed to go out in public with it today.  She was embarassed and wouldn't go to the UNI Panther Sports camp with it though.  I really hope this isn't going to make her less social.  She says she won't be embarassed by it with people she knows.  We will see!

She told me this afternoon that sometimes she forgets she is wearing it.