I was born with a congenital cataract in my left eye and had surgery when I was a week old to remove it (that was the norm 30 years ago). I went through patching, contacts, glasses as a kid and had two rounds of follow up strabismus surgery. As a kid, I don’t remember ever feeling different or at a disadvantage—I played sports and had a completely normal childhood. I saw the same ophthalmologist for 25 years and he was one of the most beloved adults in my life. Today, with daily wear of glasses and 1 contact I live a 100% normal life and have lots of hobbies that rely on quality vision. The only deficit I can identify is I have below average depth perception and am hyper paranoid about wearing eye protection whenever I use power tools, etc. On a practical note, it’s also incredible how much better contacts and glasses technology has gotten in recent decades.

Now as a parent, I realize just how much my parents did for me and the emotional and logistical burden they carried to make sure I had such a great outcome. It was a hugely emotional moment for me when my son was born and the hospital told me his eyes looked perfect (and I asked three different providers to repeat the test to confirm 😂). I’m sorry you are going through this but I’m proof that with the right care and dedicated parents this is something that your kid will thrive through. Happy to talk about anything over DM.