You probably take your baby to the pediatrician for his shots and regular checkups, but did you think about scheduling an eye exam for your baby? Even though I am incredibly nearsighted, it hadn’t occurred to me to schedule an eye exam for Baby Mwah.
But I received a press release today that caught my eye. 1 in 10 children are at risk for undiagnosed vision problems, and 1 in 25 will develop strabismus (crossed-eyes), which is a risk factor for amblyopia (lazy eye) a leading cause of vision loss in young people. A study reported by the American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) in 2007 found that infants and toddlers whose amblyopia was detected by age two years had substantially better treatment success than children whose amblyopia was detected between ages two and four years.
But most parents do not take their baby for eye exams. Perhaps they figure the pediatrician will notice if there’s anything wrong. Or they might not have vision coverage on their health plan– assuming they even have a health plan.
The American Optometric Association and The Vision Care Institute™, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company, partnered to create InfantSEE. Through InfantSEE, optometrists will provide a free one-time, comprehensive eye assessment to infants in their first year of life, offering early detection for the risk of potential eye and vision problems.
I visited www.infantsee.org to get the information I needed to schedule Baby Mwah for an eye exam. Since the exam is free regardless of your income, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a reason not to schedule one. The exam will either identify potential problems that, if undetected, would lead to learning and developmental issues later or give you the peace of mind that your baby’s vision is developing properly.
