Former President Jimmy Carter officially launched the InfantSee program on the Today Show this morning. The program is designed to provide a complimentary eye and vision examination for infants less than 12 months old. The ideal age for this exam appears to be between nine and twelve months. Two of Jimmy Carter’s eleven grandchildren suffered from Amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye”.
Although pediatricians try to determine if an infant has an eye problem, they just do not have the proper tools to determine if a child is significantly myopic, hyperopic or astigmatic in one eye. Of course, your baby can’t say, “Hey, Mom and Dad, my right eye can’t see well and it is going to be lazy if you don’t get over to Brill Eye Center and have me checked to see if my left eye needs to be patched to improve my right eye.”
InfantSee is your opportunity to get your baby’s eyes checked at no obligation and no fee. Of course, all three-year-olds should get their eyes checked to assure that amblyopia has not already set in that will affect vision for a lifetime. Patching therapy generally is most effective before the age of five, but much more effective the earlier it gets done.