Ophthalmologist — your input please!
RE: female, 16 months old, weighs about 12.7kg, height about 31 inches. She is in the 90+ percentile overall.
A recent visit to the local optometrist revealed she has a “black spot” in her right eye and identified it as a “possible congenital cataract”. We have been given a referral to the Stollery but are told it’s a 12+ month long waitlist (triage system, we’re in Canada) to be assessed under sedation by the ophthalmologist, let alone a surgery date. I haven’t received a call from the Stollery yet to find out if we’ve been bumped up or not. Her symptoms include exotropia (her right eye is going lazy outwards; worsening each week), along with constant squinting+rubbing, and at times I swear she’s in pain (maybe sore muscle or headaches)? Under my own discretion I patched her good eye (left) for short 20 minutes intervals over a couple days just to gauge her vision — she still crawls/walks in her intended direction without falling or bumping into things, and her grasping + eye/hand coordination remains accurate. Note: I am no longer patching the good eye. My question is: assuming we have to wait more than 6 months for an ophthalmologist appointment for an assessment, would it be in the best interest of her eye health to access private care in the USA (specifically ABC in Phoenix AZ) instead of waiting it out? I am concerned that irreversible damage could be happening while we are on idle mode. We are lucky that cost is not a concern, but I still want to be smart about it considering post-op care and the strategic commitment of funds + time away from home. I am a SAHM (used to work in children’s services) so I have the flexibility to stay with relatives in AZ as long as needed. But if the condition is not severely pressing, I’d rather stay put. Or, am I overthinking it? If not a congenial cataract, could it possibly be a tumor or blood? Thank you in advance for your input!