Anyway, I have so very much to tell about the trip and things that I learned while there. I will be primarily writing about the trip on my other blog here so as not to violate my contract with BlogHer.
I do want to talk about one thing that I learned while in New Jersey here, however. How many of you have gotten your baby's vision checked? I'm not talking about the pediatrician showing your baby some pictures on a poster down the hall in their office. I'm talking about taking your 6-12 month old child to an opthamologist or optometrist and having their eyes dilated. I admit that I never took any of my kids to the eye doctor before they were a year old. I mean, how can they do an eye exam on a baby, right? It's not like your six month old can tell you what letters or pictures they're seeing. My pediatrician never recommended that I take my babies to an eye doctor. The thought never crossed my mind. And I wasn't alone in my thinking.
In 2005, after president Jimmy Carter spoke to a group of optometrists, members of the American Optometric Association and The Vision Care Institute of Johnson & Johnson joined forces to create InfantSEE. Jimmy Carter has two grandsons with vision problems that could have been treated if their eyes had been checked as infants. They had the insurance and money to take these boys for eye care. What they lacked was the awareness.
Dr. Scott Jens spoke to us about this program while I was in New Jersey and he told stories of how retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye) was detected, thus saving a baby’s life, all because of this program. Granted, most of us aren’t going to get a diagnosis like that, but there are many other vision problems, that with early intervention, could save your infant’s sight.
My own daughter, Lexington, never had her eyes examined as an infant. In fact, she passed the vision test that was administered at school. I took her to an eye doctor for peace of mind because now and then I’d see her eyes cross a little. It wasn’t terribly noticeable and it wasn’t all the time, but still, I thought I would rather be safe than sorry. The eye doctor dilated her eyes and told me that she was terribly farsighted and would require glasses for life. It wasn’t a devastating diagnosis. Millions of people wear glasses to correct their vision. Still, I felt horrible that I hadn’t caught it earlier. Looking back at old pictures of Lexi, I cringe when I see her eyes crossed in them. All along I thought she was just doing a “stupid human trick” by making a goofy face and crossing her eyes. How could I not have known?
The answer is – I couldn’t have known. That’s what the eye doctor is for. That’s why every infant should be seen be an eye care professional. That’s why InfantSee was started. The best part of this – IT’S TOTALLY FREE! Just go to the InfantSEE website, and click on the "doctor locator” button. When I searched, more than a dozen doctors came up within 5 miles from me! It doesn’t matter what your income level is. It doesn’t matter if you have insurance or not. Anyone can get a free eye exam for their infant under 12 months.
I asked Dr. Jens what he considered the best age to have a baby’s eyes checked and he said that he felt 9 months is ideal, but he stressed that anytime between 6 and 12 months is great!
So, please take advantage of this free program to ensure the health of your baby’s vision. And pass this on to everyone you know. I think it should especially be passed on to the pediatricians. Before this week, I’d never even heard of this program. I have 6 kids and not once did any pediatrician ever mention it to me. Your child’s pediatrician is a prime source of medical knowledge and advice. They need to be aware of this program so they can pass it on to their patients.
So, please take advantage of this free program to ensure the health of your baby’s vision. And pass this on to everyone you know. I think it should especially be passed on to the pediatricians. Before this week, I’d never even heard of this program. I have 6 kids and not once did any pediatrician ever mention it to me. Your child’s pediatrician is a prime source of medical knowledge and advice. They need to be aware of this program so they can pass it on to their patients.
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Edited to add: Please pray for the Powell family as baby Ethan earned his angel wings today. :*(
