Finding support through strabismus groups
Written on November 18, 2006 – | by Lois (admin)
I often hear people say, “I’m glad I found your group. I thought I was the only one with this problem!” You are not the only one with strabismus. There many of us, and several places online to find us! Different Strabismus Groups meet different needs. (Links open in a new browser.)
Eyes Apart sponsors two Strabismus Support groups:
Eyes Apart Strabismus Support We used to link to a strabismus group that was great because we could share almost anything relating to strabismus. But there were divisions and hurt feelings because it had no moderator. We created a similar group here at Eyes Apart, but with moderators that could provide a safe environment in which to share. We felt that we are vulnerable enough in real life with our eye problems, without being in a group where there are no restraints.
Strabismus Hope Offers hope for the struggles of strabismus from a Christian standpoint. All are welcome, not just Christians. This group is also sponsored by Eyes Apart, but the difference is that at Strabismus Hope we are able to share more freely how God helps us through our strabismus struggles, helpful Scriptures, etc..
Those are our groups, but there are other groups available as well. Here are some of them:
LazyEye An email list for parents of children with amblyopia, strabismus or other conditions associated with “lazy eye.” Adult amblyopes are welcome as well. The purpose of this list is to provide emotional support as well as direction to resources.
vision_therapy This group is for parents, teachers, doctors, and others interested in vision therapy. A friend of mine who belongs to this group says there are a few optometrists who contribute to it regularly also.
Usenet sci.med.vision Another friend shared the link to this Usenet group recently. I was fascinated to see that the old Usenet groups many of us remember are still alive and well! They are now available through a Google groups interface. This one is described as “Human vision, visual correction, and visual science.”
Strabismus, exotropia, esotropia, lazy eye, crossed eyes The name of this group says it all! This group was recently started by the person who provided the Usenet link above. He wrote that “I intended mine to be a ‘portal’ to the sci.med.vision newsgroup.” He has some other strabismus links there as well, along with “tips about how to best use Usenet and Google groups.”
Photo Credit: sanja gjenero
4 Responses to “Finding support through strabismus groups”
By angelena on Nov 29, 2007 | Reply
My sister has suffered with the social handicap stemming from a lazy eye (strabismus) all of her life. She is now 42 years old and still allowing it to affect her self esteem. Is there a support group she can physically attend with adults who has and/or is dealing with the same thing? She lives in Atlanta,Ga.
By Lois (admin) on Nov 29, 2007 | Reply
Our Strabismus Support groups are web only. I am not aware of any strabismus support groups where people physically attend, but that does not mean there are none.
Lois
By andy on Dec 26, 2007 | Reply
Angelena i have had strabismus for nearly 40 years and the older i get the less it bothers me i dont care what people think this is who i am so like me or lump me and if people would hold it against me they are not worth knowing anyhow , i dont hide behind sunglasses and i am the loudest in the room i have never had trouble dating and have plenty of friends i have the feeling your sister would have low esteem with 20/20 vision having perfect vision is not the answer to everything so dont obsess and enjoy life
By John on Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
I have had strabismus pretty much my entire life. At the age of 15 I had a second surgery that actually worked. Everything was perfect for another 14-15 years, but then my eye started to turn a little bit. I have been noticing this for the last couple of years or so. While it is not nearly as bad as it once was, its not perfect either. I’m at a point where I’m considering the idea of another surgery, but not really sure what to do. Any one else had a similar experience or have any thoughts on this?
-John