Another Exam

Lyn had an eye exam earlier this week. It was just her annual check up. The exam went well enough.

Lyn was unable to identify the letters they put up. She was able to identify the numbers. She couldn't read them from left to right. Instead, she called them out randomly. The doctor says she may need reading glasses in two years. Under the conditions, he might not even bother.

I have mixed feelings about this. While I am Lyn's younger sister, I just had to go into reading glasses this year. If Lyn's like the rest of the family, then she's mildly far-sighted. We typically end up in glasses in our 40's. I'm ahead of the curve, but I have a reading instensive life. Lyn's life is no where near that.

Over the next two years, is she going to notice any decline in her close range vision like I have? Is the loss of fine details at close range really going to have a negative impact on her life as it would mine? I do not know. The one skill that she frequently uses which may be impacted is her "stitching".

Lyn uses plastic frames and threads floss through it in various colors and patterns. She mostly makes placemats and coasters. I have a full set of placemats and at least 20 coasters that she's made for us over the years. That includes the one on my desk where I keep my cup of tea each day. Lyn's manual dexterity is insufficient to thread her oversized needles. Mom has always done that step for her. It will be interesting to see what happens with this hobby of hers.

The other area that gives me mixed feelings is the note from Mom that Lyn was unable to read the letters. It leaves me wondering what Lyn's speech therapist would say about it. Does Lyn rely upon other clues than the shape of the letter to identify it such as an accompanying image on a flash card? Is there a different mental processing going on when you just look at a letter than when you need to write that letter down. For example, can Lyn still write her name at the level that she has previously?

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