In this episode, we are going to talk about why you should take your baby for a checkup for their eyes and how to access a free eye assessment through the InfantSEE program. InfantSEE is a program to make sure your baby can see – It's as easy as A – B – See to make sure your baby can see! There are eye doctors in every state who can provide eye assessments for babies at no charge.
To locate a doctor for the InfantSEE program, please visit: infantsee.org
Why You Should Care
1 in 4 children have a vision problem that can affect their learning and behavior. 80% of what a child learns in school is presented visually, therefore it’s imperative children receive annual eye exams to help them excel in and outside the classroom!
What Can You Do
Start early. Prevention. Protect your baby’s eyes with a no-cost eye assessment by an eye doctor (optometrist) – not a vision screening by the pediatrician. Sure, a vision screening may be able to detect eye problems, but usually the child needs to already know their A B C’s, which may be too late. But the optometrist can check the eyes. The eye doctor can make sure the eyes are developed and seeing well. Sometimes babies don’t know how they are supposed to see. Babies don’t know what things should look like. They have to learn to see. How do the eyes learn to see? They have to have light to see. The eyes have to be just the right size so the eyes can focus properly to see things in a clear way. And not be blurry.
Facts about the InfantSEE Program
InfantSEE, developed by the American Optometric Association and Johnson & Johnson Vision, is a public health program designed to ensure that eye and vision care become an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child’s quality of life. We feel so strongly about the importance of healthy vision that participating member optometrists will provide a no cost comprehensive infant eye and vision assessment within the first year of life.
InfantSEE is comprised of nearly 4,000 doctors of optometry volunteering their services across the country. Over 150,000 infants have received comprehensive eye assessments since the inception of the program in 2005.
What to Remember about Your Child's Vision
Infants should receive a comprehensive baseline eye exam between the ages of 6 and 12 months, immediately after the critical period when the eye undergoes rapid and profound changes and is therefore most vulnerable to interference with normal development.
Children of any age can complete a comprehensive eye exam. Knowing how to read the letters on an eye chart is not a requirement.
Eye and vision problems among young children are often “silent” and “invisible”. Silent means your child may not express visual symptoms. Invisible means that the eye condition cannot be seen or detected unless specialized eye exam techniques such as pupil dilation are used.
Eye and vision problems in young children may cause lifelong vision impairment if not diagnosed and treated promptly.
School screenings provide <4% of the eye tests needed to help children see and miss up to 75% of children with vision problems. Of the children found to have eye problems through screening, 61% never visit the doctor and get help.
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