Comments on: vision screenings vs comprehensive eye exams

By: Mark Schwartz

Mark Schwartz — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:33:52 +0000

Thank you for mentioning the InfantSEE® program on your blog, and for helping us to spread the word about the importance of infant eye health.
We are grateful to each blogger who shares their InfantSEE® experience with their fellow followers, friends, family— and everyone with young children in their lives. From speaking with parents all around the country, we have learned word-of-mouth is one of the program’s most effective promotional tools.
InfantSEE® is now on Facebook, and I’d like to invite you to join our Fan Club. Through the Facebook page, it is our goal to be able to share the program with as many people as possible, while also collecting stories from parents about how InfantSEE® made an impression on their lives – and that of their child’s. Your story may encourage another parent to have their infant’s eyes assessed. We’d love for you to participate!
Thank you again for blogging about InfantSEE®. If you have any questions, or would like to know other ways you can become involved with the InfantSEE® program, please feel free to contact me.

Best,
Mark Schwartz, MPH
InfantSEE® Program Manager
maschwartz@aoa.org
1800-365-2219 x 4149

By: MT

MT — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:39:41 +0000

My daughter passed the vision screening at her pediatricians just a few weeks prior to failing a vision screening done at school. The difference – the school one happened to be done by the Commission for the blind in NJ and they did a few more tests including occlusion of each eye and they found her amblyopia. Her pediatrician’s office completely missed it – or she cheated, or both. The pedi ophthalmologist confirmed it, but the initial “problem” came about in a “screening” of which I am so very thankful.

By: Annie

Annie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:45:37 +0000

From our experiences I think hearing screenings and exams are more alike than eye screenings/exams, but that’s just our experience. I believe Aubrie would pass a regular eye chart screening b/c she can see distance extremely well, but an eye exam she obviously fails b/c her close up vision is so poor. Aubrie had an ear screening for preschool and failed. She had an ear infection & they told us that commonly causes them to fail their screening. Our health dept makes you go see a doctor and retest to be sure it’s not a hearing issue. We then went to a hearing specialist b/c of the chronic ear infections and she again failed her exam. It was very similar to the health dept. screening, but just longer & more detailed. She had to get tubes & then her hearing was retested – and hooray she can hear perfect now!

By: Ann Z

Ann Z — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:56:29 +0000

Indeed, and eye charts are used in exams and often in screenings. But eye charts alone can miss important childhood vision problems such as amblyopia and strabismus.

By: amomofelly

amomofelly — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:05:12 +0000

Thanks Ann – I am wondering if hearing screenings vs exams are similar?

By: Vision Care

Vision Care — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:45:44 +0000

Eye charts are used to diagnose common vision problems, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmation. Vision Care