Your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But did you know that babies also have to learn to see? Any difficulties controlling the eyes or seeing clearly out of one or both eyes can lead to problems that will affect a child throughout life if not treated.
Because we believe that proper visual development is so important, Dr. Bonilla-Warford and Dr. Knighton are proud to participate in the InfantSEE program through the American Optometric Association. Under this program, any infant between the ages of 6 and 12 months will receive a thorough visual and ocular health evaluation at no charge. This is a one-time service which offers early detection of potential eye and vision problems at no cost regardless of income or ability to pay. After this visit, we recommend the next exam at 3 years old, then again at 5 years old, or before kindergarten. Yearly eye exams are recommended for school-age children and teens.
InfantSEE® is a public health program, to ensure that optometric eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child’s quality of life.
The Program’s Mandate
- Identify and treat risk factors that may have adverse effects on eye and vision health.
- Reduce the impact of amblyopia (presently 1 in 30) and other conditions that may lead to impairments and/or loss of sight, or affect a child’s spatial and cognitive development, through early identification.
- Educate parents about the importance of eye care for their children.
- Visual Acuity
- Refractive Status
- Eye Movement
- Eye Alignment/Binocular Potential
- Eye Health
In an effort to encourage infant eye and vision assessments and ensure they are accessible to everyone, the American Optometric Association (AOA), and The Vision Care Institute of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and Optometry’s Charity™ – The AOA Foundation, partnered to create InfantSEE®, a no-cost public health program developed to provide professional eye care for infants nationwide.
Through InfantSEE®, Optometrists provide a one-time, comprehensive eye and vision assessment to babies in their first year of life, usually between the ages of 6 and 12 months, offering early detection of potential eye and vision problems at no cost regardless of income or ability to pay.
The Program’s Goals
Though babies can’t talk, optometrists use their clinical education, training and experience, along with instruments such as lighted toys to provide non-invasive eye and vision assessments for infants.
According to new data collected by the American Optometric Association (AOA) there is a growing need for early vision examination in infants. The data showed that two groups at greater risk for visual concerns were premature babies and minority babies.
Parents may learn more about the importance of infant vision care and the InfantSEE® program by logging on to www.infantsee.org. Please call our office to schedule your baby’s InfantSEE® assessment.
Stages of Vision Development
Most parents believe that vision is something that just develops naturally, and therefore does not need to be checked until school-age when it has already fully developed. The truth is that vision is learned – and the most critical stages of vision development occur in the first year of life.
|
AGE |
VISION |
| At Birth |
|
| By 3 Months |
|
| By 6 Months |
|
| By 9 Months |
|
| By 12 Months |
|