Table 3.

Social support

A: Advice from social networks
Her grandfather, who is a GP, saw that she was looking at things close and her eye was turning in. We took her to an optometrist and they picked up that there was something there, and they referred us to the ophthalmologist who said ‘yes that looks like a cataract to me, we’ll send you to [city]’. And that all happened really quickly (Grace’s mother)	The doctor is trying to give us good advice […] the sooner we get it done the better. And my mum and dad are pretty much saying ‘No’. So that was another kinda difficulty […] Yeah, an emotional, mental thing as well with the family’s input—what they think about it (Lily’s mother)
B: Availability of emotional and practical support
When describing decision to go through with the surgery four years after it was recommended: It was just talking about it I guess with the [Community worker] that I was having the get-togethers with […] she was lovely. I would talk with her and we would talk with [child] and she would even offer to drive us out there and stuff like that. Because that was another issue, just the transport (Emily’s mother)	We took him to the hospital and they were saying right then and there to do a little surgery […] I was carrying [another child], and my husband didn’t want him to have the surgery (Benjamin’s mother)

Examples of positive (left column) and negative (right column) experiences relating to social support.