Many years ago a group of us went to this. Their quilt sales draw people from many states and some of the quilts bring in the thousands of dollars. They also have antique vendors and food stalls.
As in most religions the men have special privileges. They do their farming with tractors while the women cook on a wood stove. I don't remember whether their homes had electricity or not. I do remember that half of the young people were cross-eyed. That problem must be inherited and their gene pool is evidently very limited.
I know some of you live near other Amish communities. Do they seem to have the cross-eyed gene as well?
Here in Lancaster dwarfism is fairly common among the Amish. But most any genetic deficiencies are multiplied by the limited gene pool. They have a book of Fishers (family name genealogy) and as he said, if you are Amish, your family is in that book. There is a medical group here that actually studies the genetic issues of the Amish.
A lot of the women on my wife's side of the family have a turned in right eye that needed surgical correction they blame it on French ancestry, my mother in law's family name was Cockatrice
I do live very near Amish communities. I had not heard of the cross-eyed gene, but the Amish children, at least in eastern PA, often suffer from something called Maple Syrup Urine Disease, a life-threatening condition.
I'm not familiar with the Amish use of modern medicine but it sounds like they really need to participate if the afflicted baby or child is going to develop normally.
@Lorajay When my son was born, he had some birth defects of the urinary system, and had to have surgery at 10 says old, then lots of follow-ups. During those years we saw many Amish couples and their babies at A.I. du Pont hospital in Wilmington, DE. They were certainly availing themselves of good medical care, as that's one of the best children's hospitals around. The Amish people had to be driven in by volunteers. They are not against this.