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An Introduction (To an Artist) The doctors wanted him checked out at about 5 months or so, but we were the ones who decided to wait until he was about 8 months old. This may not have been wise, but we were so unknowing at the time. My husband and I had so much information and things to deal with (like moving to Boston) and understand that we choose to take care of his immediate health problems first (feeding, tubes in his ears, chronic ear infections, Cleft palate, genetics, etc.) and we had no health insurance. We didn't until he was 5 years and used the State Handicapped Services in Boston. His docs wanted his eyes checked because of the fact that he had Stickler's. Also when he first discovered his hands, he held them practically on his eyes to look at them. My mother-in-law thought that he had autism. When he was able to hold toys he held them right up to his eyes and his eyes went blank unless you or an object were right in his face.. He was checked by measuring where the light fell on his retinas. We had a kind, loving pediatric opthamologist in Boston. He did the exam without any sedation. We still keep in touch even though we moved back to Pgh. Arpad was found to be severely myopic. It took us a few months to save money for his glasses and he got them when he was 10-11 months old. It was amazing when we first put them on his face at the optician's. He was crying from all of the strange people fussing with his face to properly fit the glasses. Suddenly he opened his eyes and saw clearly for the first time in his life. He began laughing hysterically and pointing to things in the distance. We all began to cry, including the optician. It is a moment that I will never forget. And now he's almost 15 years and in the High School and draws and draws. Now he's an artist. Claudia