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Early Childhood Eye Care
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), healthy eyes and good vision play a critical role in how infants and children learn to see. Eye and vision problems in infants can cause developmental delays, so it is imperative to detect issues as early as possible. It is for this reason that the AOA recommends eye care check-ups starting at age 6 months followed by every two years – even if no eye or vision problems are apparent – and more frequently if experiencing signs that may indicate a vision problem (see signs below).
As a family practice, Crozet Eye Care is one of the few practices that serves children under age 5 in the Greater Charlottesville area. Dr. Franklin is the coordinator of the InfantSEE program in Virginia. As an InfantSEE provider, Crozet Eye Care offers comprehensive eye exams to infants ages 6-12 months at no cost. The team at Crozet Eye Care is trained to work with children of all ages to ensure that check-ups and visits are as comfortable and pleasant as possible for our little patients (our fun prizes and kid's playroom help!).
According to the AOA, the following signs may be indications of eye and vision problems:
For Infants:
- Excessive tearing
- Red or encrusted eye lids
- Constant eye turning
- Extreme sensitivity to light
- Appearance of a white pupil
For Pre-Schoolers, in which it is estimated that 10% are affected by vision problems:
- Sitting close to the TV or holding a book too close
- Squinting
- Tilting their head
- Frequently rubbing their eyes
- Short attention span for the child's age
- Turning of an eye in or out
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination when playing ball or bike riding
- Avoiding coloring activities, puzzles and other detailed activities
For School-Age Children:
- Frequent eye rubbing or blinking
- Short attention span
- Avoiding reading and other close activities
- Frequent headaches
- Covering one eye
- Tilting the head to one side
- Holding reading materials close to the face
- An eye turning in or out
- Seeing double
- Losing their place when reading
- Difficulty remembering what he or she read
Services
About InfantSEE
In an effort to encourage infant eye and vision assessments and ensure they are accessible to everyone, the American Optometric Association and The Vision Care Institute of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., have partnered to create InfantSEE, a no-cost public health program developed to provide professional eye care for infants nationwide. Through InfantSEE, doctors of optometry provide a one-time, comprehensive eye assessment to infants between 6 and 12 months of age, offering early detection of potential eye and vision problems at no cost, regardless of income.
Dr. Franklin is the Virginia InfantSEE coordinator and a provider. If you are outside of the Charlottesville or surrounding areas, call 1-888-396-EYES (3937) or log on to www.infantsee.org to find an InfantSEE provider near you.
