Little EyePods

In this episode we present you with a skit in which we discuss an eye condition called amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye. 

Welcome back to a new season of LittleEyePods! Today we bring you a skit about the importance of pediatric eye exams. We begin with two old college friends, Ana, an engineer, and mother of 2 – a 4-month-old infant and a 3-year-old, and Cheryl Ann Scott, an eye doctor, bumping into each other while waiting in line for coffee. Anna uses the opportunity to ask Dr. Scott about her children’s vision.

For questions and comments please contact us at contact@coavision.org

Associated links:
https://www.infantsee.org/
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/find-a-doctor

Que se ase en un examen de la vista?

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a un episodio especial de LittleEyePods!

Hoy les traemos un sketch sobre la importancia de los exámenes oculares pediátricos. Comenzamos con dos viejos amigos de la universidad, Arianna, ingeniera y madre de 2 hijos, un bebé de 4 meses y un niño de 3 años, y Ángel Barajas, un oftalmólogo, chocando mientras esperan en la fila para obtener maíz de el elotero. Arianna aprovecha para preguntarle al Dr. Barajas sobre la visión de sus hijos.

English transcripts are available in the description.

Learn about when a child needs glasses, when should they wear them, and how glasses can help with learning and sports.

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.

For questions and comments please contact us at contact@coavision.org

In this episode, host Dr. Jennifer Fisher, OD is  joined by professors Dr. Anne Tasaki, OD and Dr. Katherine Lai, OD to talk about what is done in an eye exam and how it differs from a vision screening. We discuss what is evaluated and when an eye exam is recommended. 

For questions and comments please contact us at contact@coavision.org

Associated links:
https://www.infantsee.org/
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/find-a-doctor

The purpose of this podcast is to teach families the importance of eye care for children, as well as the ins and outs of common vision issues. We will also feature the important roles that other health care specialists and educators play in addressing uncorrected vision in children.