Jailyn's Treatment for Amblyopia
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Recently our daughter Jailyn was diagnosed with amblyopia. I'm not a doctor, so here's a quote from WebMD explaining exactly what that is:
"Amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, is a condition in children when vision does not develop properly in one eye. If it’s left untreated, a child's vision will never develop correctly in that eye. Vision impairment becomes permanent because as the child’s brain matures, it will "ignore" the image coming from the poorly seeing eye. That’s why it’s essential to have a child with amblyopia regularly tested by an eye doctor."
Basically, Jailyn is extremely far sighted in her right eye. Without correction, she is unable to read the number of fingers you're holding up, even if they're right in front of her face. She has struggled in school for the past year due to the fact that she's unable to see the writing close up. Thankfully we have an amazing doctor in Aurora who was able to diagnose her, and refer her to a specialist, before it was too late.
Jailyn is currently seeing Dr. Gina Gabriel at Eagle Vision and Eye Clinic in Longmont, Colorado. Each visit requires a $90.00 copay, and only a portion of the appointment cost has been covered by our insurance company. Unfortunately Jailyn's progess has started to slow down, and Dr. Gabriel would like to begin the vision therapy part of treatment sooner rather than later. Surprisingly, insurance covers no part of vision therapy, even though it's a necessary treatment for children with amblyopia. The eyes are not currently working together, and in order for that to happen, vision therapy needs to take place. Each visit will cost $97, and Jailyn will have to go weekly for approximately 9 months. (She will also see Dr. Gabriel every 5-6 weeks to check progress). Dr. Gabriel has been fighting to get the insurance companies to cover vision therapy, but so far they have refused.
We simply can't afford an extra $400 a month for 9 months, so we've made the difficult decision to ask for help. This treatment is necessary for Jailyn to see, and is not something that can wait much longer. As she gets older, it will become more and more difficult for her eyes to respond to therapy. It's Dr. Gabriel's hope that we begin therapy within two weeks, and we simply can't afford it.
"Amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, is a condition in children when vision does not develop properly in one eye. If it’s left untreated, a child's vision will never develop correctly in that eye. Vision impairment becomes permanent because as the child’s brain matures, it will "ignore" the image coming from the poorly seeing eye. That’s why it’s essential to have a child with amblyopia regularly tested by an eye doctor."
Basically, Jailyn is extremely far sighted in her right eye. Without correction, she is unable to read the number of fingers you're holding up, even if they're right in front of her face. She has struggled in school for the past year due to the fact that she's unable to see the writing close up. Thankfully we have an amazing doctor in Aurora who was able to diagnose her, and refer her to a specialist, before it was too late.
Jailyn is currently seeing Dr. Gina Gabriel at Eagle Vision and Eye Clinic in Longmont, Colorado. Each visit requires a $90.00 copay, and only a portion of the appointment cost has been covered by our insurance company. Unfortunately Jailyn's progess has started to slow down, and Dr. Gabriel would like to begin the vision therapy part of treatment sooner rather than later. Surprisingly, insurance covers no part of vision therapy, even though it's a necessary treatment for children with amblyopia. The eyes are not currently working together, and in order for that to happen, vision therapy needs to take place. Each visit will cost $97, and Jailyn will have to go weekly for approximately 9 months. (She will also see Dr. Gabriel every 5-6 weeks to check progress). Dr. Gabriel has been fighting to get the insurance companies to cover vision therapy, but so far they have refused.
We simply can't afford an extra $400 a month for 9 months, so we've made the difficult decision to ask for help. This treatment is necessary for Jailyn to see, and is not something that can wait much longer. As she gets older, it will become more and more difficult for her eyes to respond to therapy. It's Dr. Gabriel's hope that we begin therapy within two weeks, and we simply can't afford it.
Organizer
Brandi Thornton
Organizer
Erie, CO
