Parent Blog: Katie and Bryan Ripke

In their words

Katie and Bryan Ripke
Lisbon, Iowa

“On May 9, 2017, KidSight came into our son’s daycare for a screening. I remember signing a consent form for the screening, but did not think much of it. A few weeks later, I got a letter in the mail letting us know that we should get him checked out as he had been flagged for hyperopia (far-sightedness) and anisometropia (difference in focus between the eyes).

I’ll be honest, I initially viewed this as a complete inconvenience. He didn’t show any signs of needing glasses, and I always thought far-sighted meant reading glasses. He wasn’t even 4, so why would he need reading glasses?

After putting it off for a couple of weeks, I finally made an appointment and we learned not only was he far-sighted, he was VERY far-sighted and needed glasses quite badly. Additionally, the focus between his eyes was off and he also needed to patch one eye to correct that.

I had no idea a program like KidSight existed. It was on my radar to get him to the eye doctor before he started alternative kindergarten, but that was still a year out. I am so grateful this was caught before he started preschool and became frustrated that he couldn’t see letters that were right in front of him.

Henrik has a younger brother who is 2. After learning how badly Henrik needed to wear glasses, we immediately got him in for an eye check as well. So far, he does not need glasses. I am also due with another baby this winter and will be getting her in for an eye check when she is 6 months old.

KidSight made a huge difference in our son’s life and I am very grateful for that.”