The eye's have it.

Started today off really well today, called the NICU this morning and found out Delilah now weighs 3lbs 4oz and was doing really well on her oxygen she is still at 1/32 liter (it’s barley any oxygen but she still needs a bit of help). Had a great workout with Saera and Wendy, then work was ok I left half way through the day so I could see Delilah.

3lbs 4oz

As I was leaving work I noticed I had a missed call, voice mail and a email I say the email was from Delilah’s Doctor, Dr.Martin asking me to call when I could. Of course I called right away, not really thinking anything could be wrong since Delilah has just been coasting along with no issues I called with no worries. I really figured she was calling to tell me she was off oxygen again.

No Delilah was not off oxygen, she had her eye exam last night and the eye doctor saw an eye disease. I don’t think I was told the name of the eye disease but it was explained to me and I’m going to try and explain it the best I can.

As you all know preemies are born with everything being immature, depending on their gestational age (how early they’re born) as to how immature they are. Well Delilah was 25 weeks (15 weeks early) so everything is really immature on her. Her eyes were looking really good at all her other exams, so today when he looked at them he saw yes they are immature still (expected that) but he also saw her retinas were not growing outwards anymore. They had a line going around blocking them and they were getting blotchy were they stopped (the picture Dr.Martin drew helped explain all this sorry, no picture).

Since they have stopped growing outwards the eye Dr said he really thinks she will have to have surgery on her eyes. He is going to check her again in a week and see if they get better, (I pray they do) but if they do not look better she will have to be transferred to Beaumont hospital in Royal Oak were they have world renown specialist. They will then reexamine her eyes just to make sure they think it is necessary, if it is they will use a laser.

What they will do is laser the part of the eye where the retina has not grown (again the picture helped so much) she may not have peripheral vision as she grows up but it can help her to not become blind.

After I typed all of this I had a brilliant idea and decided to Google it LOL and here is a better explanation of what is going on with her.

During the last few weeks before the birth of a full-term baby, blood vessels grow outward from the optic nerve into the retina. In some premature babies, something interrupts this process. Then abnormal vessels begin to grow, accompanied by fibrous scar tissue that in the worst cases forms a ring all the way around the inside of the eye. "Fortunately, most premature infants do not develop ROP, and most infants with ROP improve spontaneously," notes ophthalmologist Scott C. Richards., M.D., of the Country Hills Eye Center in Ogden, Utah.

In other cases, however, ROP can grow progressively worse. Ultimately the scar tissue contracts, detaching the retina from the choroid, an inner layer of blood vessels underneath the retina. A partial detachment may allow fluid from inside the eye to seep behind the retina, enlarging the area of detachment and further decreasing visual acuity. Complete detachment of the retina will leave the infant blind.  Most newborn intensive-care units now screen for ROP with an indirect ophthalmoscope, a device that provides a three-dimensional view of the retina. The procedure involves use of a local anestethic and can be stressful to the infant. "We do our initial examinations," Dr. Richards says, "at 33 weeks gestational age or six weeks after birth, whichever comes first, assuming that the infant is stable enough for the examination." If ROP is present, the procedure is repeated at intervals of a week or two until the abnormal retinal vessels disappear or until the disease progresses to the point of requiring treatment. Four treatment methods are available:

· Cryotherapy, use of a supercooled probe on the outside wall of the eye to freeze portions of the retinal surface.

· Laser photocoagulation, which is more precise than and has largely supplanted cryotherapy. It treats the retina and choroid directly without affecting the whole eye wall.

· Scleral buckle, a surgical procedure in which a silicone band tightened around the eye helps to relieve stress on a detached retina so it can reposition itself against the eye wall.

· Vitrectomy, a complex procedure involving replacement of the vitreous gel inside the eye with a saline solution, and removal of the scar tissue on the retina. Sometimes the lens also has to be removed. Reattachment of the retina to the eye wall succeeds in 25 to 50 percent of ROP victrecomy patients, but only about 25 percent of that group can see "well enough to reach out and grab an object or recognize patterns," Dr. Richards says. "The disappointing visual results of surgery underscore the need for careful screening and timely laser treatment for patients at risk for visual loss."

We will be doing the laser Photocoagulation. Here is a link I found that explaine the surgery if your interested. http://www.mdsupport.org/archives/archives-laser.html

I pray there is a miracle and when the eye doctor checks here next week everything looks good, or at least improved (not worse) once we are transferred to Beaumont we more then likely we will not be going back to St.Joseph Mercy. We will stay at Beaumont until she is ready to come home since she is so close to doing that.

Hugs and love :)