Ria's sun-glasses

When Ria, my nine year old was just six months, we spotted that her eyes were squinting. Both of them, like black marbles in a white pool of jelly. I noticed them particularly when she looked up as she drank from me.

We first thought all kids' eyes were like wobbly jelly. Soon we realized that No its kind of not okay. Consulting the doctor he confirmed that she was definitely squinting in both eyes and we would have to wait longer for her to respond to digital vision tests. All the doctor could do was peer into her eyes with hand held devices while she squirmed in my arms, all of just 2 or 3 kilos at six months.

Ria was terribly underweight. Her premature arrival into this world could have been one of the reasons for her eye muscles to have weekend whilst she came out of me naturally, in a hurry to be more precise.

However, she picked up like a normal kid soon and when she turned three we took a chance on ayurveda for strenghthening her muscles as all others advised correction surgery which we were not ready for on such a tiny soul.

The three week courses every six months at Sreedhareeyam, an eye research institute at Koothattukalam in Kerala, was very effective. The right one turned almost normal and the left one seemed to be cooperating too.

Now, at nine, we took her to Dr Sunil's Eye World in Kalamasserry, Ernakulam for her correction surgery. In less than an hour on the 9th of April, she was gifted with a normally oriented left eye. "Thanks for fixing my eyes," she told the doctor and team that worked on her as they tapped her back to consciousness.

A fortnight more, the sutures in her eye would be gone and the redness in her eye would leave too. Ria is recouping from her surgery behind a pair of smart pink rimmed sun glasses and three different eye drops and her dear friend Arya who drops in to chat and read for her every once in a while.

What she liked best was the funny machines and the green gowned people in the operation theatre and the lights around her till she dozed off and forgot all about it. She didn't like the pricking of her tiny arms for intra-venus support and no she didnt like them clipping of her long eye lashes.

A book worm that Ria is, she will have to give reading a short break. She can however watch TV from a safe distance. She can eat, drink and be merry too, everything under the protection of her smart pink rimmed sun glasses to keep away dust and harsh lights.

After the next two months of summer holidays, my little princess would be sporting a fine new look to school and life. Good luck to my little princess!