[nfbwatlk] newspaper article; screening

[Frederick Driver]

Some big vision screening thing seems to be gearing up.  Article below.

I read another announcement a while ago in the paper, about a similar
program starting here in B.C.

If they're going to do these screenings regardless, what do you think
about asking them to provide a Federation brochure and contact info to the
parents of any children they figure are or may become legally blind?  So
the parents at least have a chance to get some of the right information
about blindness from the Federation.  Before the inevitable wrong-headed
stuff gets dumped on them.

Would this be a good idea or not?

Rick

[quote]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One out of every 20 infants may be at risk
   for abnormal vision, according to the American Optometric
   Association's InfantSEE program.

   The findings, presented Thursday during the association's annual
   meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, highlight the need for early eye
   examinations to detect potential eye and vision problems during a
   child's first year of life.

"It is very important that (parents) think about having an eye doctor
   involved in their baby's life ... as a complement to wellness
   check-ups," Dr. Scott Jens told Reuters Health. Jens is chair of the
   AOA's InfantSEE Committee and a private practice optometrist.

   To date, nearly 50,000 babies have been screened by optometrists via
   the InfantSEE program, a partnership between the American Optometric
   Association and The Vision Care Institute of Johnson & Johnson Vision
   Care, Inc. This free-of-charge public health program, which began in
   2005, allows optometrists nationwide to provide vision screenings for
   infants, regardless of family income, during their first 12 months of
   life.

   Previous researchers have reported that 1 in 25 children will develop
   strabismus, which increases their risk for amblyopia, or lazy eye, and
   that 1 in 30 children will be affected by amblyopia, which is one of
   the most common causes of vision loss among individuals under age 45.

   Studies have shown that preventive screenings may reduce the
   occurrence of such vision problems. One example comes from the
American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus' 1999 study
   in which one group of children was screened for amblyopia between the
   ages of 12 and 30 months and received the appropriate treatment, while
   another group did not undergo screening. Results revealed that the
   latter group was 17 times more likely to have amblyopia at 8 years of
   age.

   The current review of 5,000 assessments conducted via InfantSEE
   further confirms the need for such screenings.

   Participating optometrists found that one in 20 infants were at risk
   for an abnormal prescription status, such as evidence of
   nearsightedness or farsightedness. In addition, 1 in 14 babies had
   risk factors that generated overall concern among optometrists, who
   required these infants to be followed closely through their early
   stages of life or referred them to a specialist.

   Overall, the assessments suggest that some of the infants may need
   glasses by the time they enter kindergarten or even earlier, according
   to Jens.

Optometrists measure the prescription status of adults by having them
   view letters through various lenses and then deciding which lens
   provides the best clarity. For babies, however, the process is very
   different.

   "Babies don't necessarily know what they see," Jens said. He and his
   colleagues therefore use specialized tests and instruments, such as a
   retinoscope, which measures how light bounces out of the eye, to
   determine babies' prescription status.

   Without such specialized screenings, which are performed specifically
   by eyecare professionals - optometrists and ophthalmologists - and not
   by family physicians, most prescription-related issues are not caught
   until years later, Jens said, particularly if the infant's vision
   problems do not affect crawling or walking.

   The InfantSEE program is not geared toward providing treatment to
   infants, however. Instead, the program aims to find at-risk infants,
   "those kids that will need that intervention by age 5," Jens said.

To learn more about the InfantSEE program, or to find a participating
   optometrist in your area, visit www.infantsee.org or call
   1-888-396-eyes.   [end quote]

SOURCE:
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=12619348&src=rss/healthNews