Why on earth is Jacob wearing an eye patch? Inquiring minds want to know … Lots of them! And they won’t stop asking about it.
…Okay okay, I’ll spare you the suspense… Jacob wears an eye patch because he has amblyopia! (Huh?)
Well, maybe the question we should start with is : who is Jacob?
Jacob Shaw is a little boy who likes science, does taekwondo, and is also an author! He and his mother – Beth Kobliner Shaw – coauthored this picture book, ‘Jacob’s Eye Patch‘. It’s a good read for children 4-8 yrs. In the book, Jacob and his mother are on the way to buy a cool light-up globe from the science store. But they meet a lot of curious people along the way, which slows them down – much to Jacob’s annoyance!
Now, back to the patch. And the long, clumsy word.
Amblyopia (Am-blee-OH-pee-ah)
Amblyopia is a problem with the way vision develops. We are all born with pretty bad eyesight. The vision part of our brain develops over time; it is stimulated by the images that our eyes see.
In some children, one eye sees better than the other. This can happen for a few reasons:
- An obstruction (something gets in the way, like a droopy eyelid or a cataract)
- Both eyes are not properly aligned (they don’t quite point in the same direction. This is called strabismus, and is usually a problem with the eye muscles)
- Both eyes don’t focus the same way (the ‘glasses strength’ of each eye is different)
When this happens, the brain only pays attention to images coming from the stronger eye. It ignores the weaker eye (how rude!) This means that vision never develops well in the weaker eye, and actually it can get much worse. Amblyopia is the main cause of blindness in one eye.
Treatment:
Amblyopia has to be treated while a child is still young; this is when the brain is still developing and can be retrained.
One way to treat amblyopia is to cover the stronger eye using an eye patch. This forces the brain to pay attention to the weaker eye, which help to develop vision on that side. Yay! The patch needs to be worn for several hours a day, and treatment can last months to years, depending on the child. (Depending on the cause of the amblyopia, there are other treatment options like eye drops or surgery).
Curious people
‘Jacob’s Eye Patch’ helps us understand how it may feel for a person who looks different to be constantly asked questions. Everyone wants to know their story, but as Jacob puts it, ‘sometimes you wanna talk and sometimes you don’t.’ For some people, being asked about their ‘thing’ can make them feel self-conscious, It can trigger a sad memory, or it can be just plain annoying
‘What happened to You‘ by James Catchpole, is another picture book for younger children (<5years) that does a great job of illustrating this same idea. Little Joe just wants to play with sharks and crocodiles (…relax, imaginary ones only!) . But these kids show up and keep asking, and ASKING, and guessing what happened to his leg. Joe has a lot more fun when they move on from his leg and join his make-believe game. (Full disclosure, nothing about amblyopia in this one, this is a book about limb differences).
Be Curious Better
Here are a few questions that can help us pause before asking possibly intrusive questions
- Who before Why? Put connection before curiosity. What other questions can you ask to get to know who this person is, rather than why they look a certain way
- Now or Later? Is the timing convenient for them, or can my question wait?
- Personal or General? Do I need to know their personal story, or can I educate myself a different way?
Have you read either of these books? Let me know what you think!
