Amanda knew there was something wrong when at the age of 18 months, Madelyn wasn’t walking yet. She and her husband took their daughter to the eye doctor who diagnosed her with a vision problem. They gave her glasses, and she began to walk soon after that.
However, Amanda noticed Madelyn’s eyes drifting. Ultimately, it required three eye muscle surgeries to correct the strabismus (“crossed eyes”) and patching therapy to correct the amblyopia (“lazy eye”). However, Madelyn had trouble reading.
Amanda brought Madelyn to The Retina Foundation at the recommendation of her pediatric ophthalmologist. The research and vision testing made a significant impact in helping Madelyn gain accommodations for her reading. The Crystal Charity Ball Pediatric Vision Evaluation Center’s reading and motor skills research study for children with amblyopia provide reports to parents that have been used to help children qualify for resources to succeed academically.
Amanda took the results of Madelyn’s reading test directly to her school counselor who secured a magnifying prism for Madelyn to use during reading assignments and tests. Her teachers give Madelyn several days to take tests, and they also limit her testing to an hour at a time because her eyes get very tired from the constant focus on each individual word. These accommodations have helped her succeed in school.
Amanda agrees that Madelyn’s story is a story of resilience and achievement. She now knows that there is very little that stands in the way of Madelyn accomplishing her dreams.
