With summer in full swing, many families are flocking to movie theaters to escape the heat. “Elio,” one of the newest animated children’s movies, features an 11-year-old boy named Elio who goes on an intergalactic adventure after being abducted by aliens. When Disney and Pixar released the movie trailer earlier this year, many viewers noticed that Elio was frequently wearing an eye patch across one of his eyes.
Although the reason why Elio wears an eye patch was not divulged prior to its release, many online users have commented on the trailer that the representation of a protagonist with an eye patch is meaningful. It’s the reason why pediatric ophthalmologists like Rebecca Edwards Mayhew, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology, are excited to see the film and share it with their patients.
“An eye patch is often used as a treatment of amblyopia, a common condition where vision is different between the two eyes, with one eye being weaker than the other,” Edwards Mayhew says. “Kids seeing someone who looks like them in the media is important. That’s why my colleagues and I are so excited about this movie.”
Positive media representation of children with eye conditions has been sparse. In fact, Michael Puente, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at CU who focuses on pediatric ocular health, recently published research that showed animated movie characters with strabismus — a misalignment of the eyes that can cause amblyopia — are more likely to be portrayed as villains. In a review of 125 animated films, only one character with strabismus was portrayed as intelligent.
“Children’s films have historically not been kind to people with strabismus and other eye problems, so it's refreshing and exciting to see ‘Elio’ has a positive representation of a child with an eye patch,” Puente says. “Children who wear eye patches or glasses are often stigmatized and bullied, so this movie has the potential to help a lot of children to see themselves more positively.”
Edwards Mayhew, who practices at the UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center and Children’s Hospital Colorado, provides comprehensive care for a variety of eye conditions and often sees patients who need an eye patch. We recently spoke with Edwards Mayhew about reasons why children may wear a patch, the stigma they can face, and how she thinks “Elio” may help patients like hers.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.