My Son's Glasses

My son is now in the second grade of elementary school and has been wearing glasses since he was three and a half years old.

Before I even gave birth, I knew my father had a color vision deficiency, so I was aware that I was a carrier. I knew that if I had a boy, there was a high probability he would be born with some degree of color vision deficiency.

At his first infant health checkup after birth, the doctor told me, 'Unlike in the past, color vision testing is no longer done in elementary schools, so it might be good to have him tested voluntarily once he is a bit older.' Because of this, I was a little sensitive about his eyes. There was a vision test at his three-and-a-half-year checkup, but it was something we were supposed to do at home beforehand and fill out. I was anxious about performing the test on my three-and-a-half-year-old son myself, so I asked them to perform the test on the day of the checkup.

It turned out that he couldn't see well out of his left eye. Naturally, a re-examination was required, and we visited an ophthalmologist. When an orthoptist performed various tests, they found that he had amblyopia in his left eye, could not perceive depth (he couldn't see 3D images), and also had astigmatism. I was told it was congenital, and although I knew in my head that it wasn't my fault, my body reacted uncontrollably, and tears welled up. Since he was small, I would sometimes show him images on my smartphone to keep him quiet, and although he didn't watch them for long periods, I did show them to him often. 'If I had been more careful, would he have ended up like this?'

After his amblyopia was diagnosed, under the doctor's instructions, we did four hours of training every day by putting an eye patch on his good eye to actively use the amblyopic eye. Fortunately, his nursery school was understanding, and their cooperation was a huge help. When doing the training at home, the doctor recommended that we use his eyes as much as possible, so he even suggested watching tablets. So, I ended up actively using the very things I thought I should avoid.

The eye patch training was successful, his vision recovered steadily, and by the time he was five, the eye patch training was no longer necessary. However, he had to continue wearing glasses. For my son, wearing glasses was a nuisance, and since none of the other children around him wore them, they eventually became something 'uncool,' and I would sometimes notice he wasn't wearing them.

The other day, a colleague at work told me, 'The author of "Meganeko" (Glasses Cat) is coming, and you can take a picture with them.' I didn't know what 'Meganeko' was at first, but when I asked what they were talking about, it turned out to be the title of a picture book. That day, my colleague happily showed me the book they had gotten signed. On the book's obi strip were the words, 'Glasses are cool!!' When I looked, thinking it might be the one, I saw that the surreal-looking glasses cat makes glasses for various animals at a glasses shop. All the animals wearing the glasses looked happy. I thought, 'My son might enjoy this. He might start thinking glasses are cool,' so I bought it right away. When I showed the author, Keiko Shibata, a photo of my son, she drew a portrait of him and signed it. When I told Ms. Shibata that my son had amblyopia, she told me that her own son also had amblyopia. She said that her son was the inspiration for writing this book.

When I got home, I gave him the picture book as a 'souvenir.' He loves books, but he asked me to 'read it right away.' He seemed to really like the content, and for the first time in a while, I was hit with a barrage of requests to 'read it again.' And he even started saying the words from the obi strip himself: 'Glasses are cool!!'

Small children cannot explain for themselves that they cannot see well. Even when they get a bit older, if they haven't been able to see well since birth, they don't know that their state of vision is abnormal. That is why screening tests during the growth process are important.
Currently, the probability of a child having amblyopia is 2-3%, or one in 50 children. If treatment can be started by age four, 95% of amblyopia cases improve. However, it seems many cases go unnoticed at the three-and-a-half-year checkup and are only discovered before starting school. Fortunately, because I was worried about color vision deficiency, I think I was able to discover it thanks to being cautious.

I want many people to know about this. And I want those who know to tell those who don't. Because noticing it early can change a child's potential.

And I want not only those with amblyopia but also those with disabilities to know this.

It is easy to think of disabilities as something pitiful at first glance, but just as wearing glasses can be seen as a unique trait, what we call a disability is also just one of many individual differences. It's about changing the environment so that the person can live more easily by using tools like glasses, and about people cooperating with each other through the understanding of those around them. I used to work with elderly people with dementia, and while supporting people with dementia—who are generally considered to be the ones with disabilities—I was healed and taught many things myself. It is not a one-sided support; by knowing that people can recognize each other's individuality and support one another, people connect and create a cycle.

I hope this serves as some kind of catalyst for the thoughts of those who have read this.