MOA Optometrists to Provide No-Cost Infant Eye Assessments

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MOA Optometrists to Provide No-Cost Infant Eye Assessments

Michigan Optometric Association Optometrists Provide No-Cost
Infant Eye Assessments through InfantSEE™ Program

Michigan optometrists volunteer to help infants
establish a lifetime of healthy vision

Optometrists from the Michigan Optometric Association (MOA) encourage parents of infants to take part in the InfantSEE™ Program, a public health initiative designed to provide a thorough eye and vision evaluation for infants in their first year of life.

The InfantSEE™ program is available at no cost, regardless of household income. It provides the opportunity for early detection of vision problems and is designed to ensure that eye and vision care become an integral part of infant wellness care.

According to the MOA, one in every 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed eye and vision problems. Visual development is most dramatic between six and 12 months of age and early detection can prevent and help reduce the threat of serious vision impairments. If left untreated, vision problems can make learning difficult and may lead to permanent vision impairment.

The InfantSEE™ program allows optometrists to look for risk factors that may lead to vision problems such as amblyopia [lazy eye] and strabismus [cross-eyed]. The program was launched in 2005 by the American Optometric Association (AOA) in partnership with the Vision Care Institute of Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Inc. Former President Jimmy Carter serves as the honorary chair.

“This program is invaluable to the overall health of an infant,” said Dr. Kenyon, Chair MOA Speakers Bureau and InfantSEE™ provider. “Children’s vision problems can be completely hidden, therefore a thorough eye and vision evaluation by an optometrist will ensure problems are detected early and provide the first step to a lifetime of healthy vision,” Dr. Kenyon concluded.

Although infants cannot respond verbally, the first year-of-life is an ideal time to conduct an eye assessment. At this age, even without a verbal response from the child, an optometrist is able to gather most components typical of an adult examination and provide new parents with informative education regarding their infant’s current and future vision development milestones.

During the assessment, infants typically sit on their parent’s lap as the optometrist performs the exam. The optometrist uses lights and other hand held objects to check that the eyes of infants are working together and that there are no significant issues that may impede proper vision development.

Following the assessment, in addition to sharing findings with parents, the optometrist will send summary information to the infant’s pediatrician, family physician or other health care provider to report and explain any significant condition diagnosed during the course of the assessment.

Early intervention is critical to successful and cost-effective treatment. Despite the nation’s present system of pre-school vision screenings, there exists a lack of understanding by the public of the importance of periodic professional eye and vision assessments. Unfortunately, during the course of their young lives, most children probably never see an eye care practitioner who can provide the kind of professional eye assessment necessary to identify critical eye and vision problems at an early stage, explain those conditions to parents, and provide the care necessary to correct those problems.

“Optometrists, through their clinical education, training and experience, have the means to provide the most effective primary eye care to children,” said Dr. Kenyon. “I recommend parents include a visit to the optometrist as part of their infant wellness care program as a practice of preventive medicine.”

To locate a Michigan Optometric Association InfantSEE™ optometrist in your area, call toll-free (888) 396-EYES or visit www.infantsee.org and click on the doctor locator link at the top of the page.

[Editor’s note: To schedule an interview with Dr. Kenyon, please contact Susan Ferraro at (313) 567-5046.]

About the Michigan Optometric Association

The mission of the Michigan Optometric Association is to unite all licensed optometrists and be the representative voice for the profession of optometry in Michigan. The association provides education, information and other member services to assist optometrists in practicing successfully in accordance with the highest standards of patient care; works to advance the quality and accessibility of optometric services throughout the state and seeks to ensure the recognition of optometrists as the primary providers of vision and related eye health care.

Sidebar

One in 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed vision problems
* One in 30 children will be affected by amblyopia – often referred to as lazy eye – a leading cause of vision loss in people younger than 45 years
* One in 25 will develop strabismus – more commonly known as crossed-eyes – a risk factor for amblyopia
* One in 33 will show significant refractive error such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism
* One in 100 will exhibit evidence of eye disease – e.g. glaucoma
* One in 20,000 children have retinoblastoma (intraocular cancer) the seventh most common pediatric cancer

[Editor’s note: Statistics from Babycenter.com survey on behalf of the American Optometric Association.]

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