Early screening spots vision problems in infants

NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) 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 yesterday 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.

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