InfantSEE is a public health program developed by the American Optometric Association in a collaborative effort with the Vision Care Institute, which is a Johnson & Johnson company. The program is designed to provide professional eye care for infants nationwide at no-cost, regardless of family income or number of eligible children.
Across the nation, approximately 7,500 eye care professionals are taking part in the program. At the local level, two optometrists including Dr. Jim Barker at McFarland Eye Center, 718 Story St., and Dr. Casey Roelfs at Boone Vision Center, 621 Story St., are taking part in the voluntary initiative.
"It gives kids a good start with their eye care," Barker said. "There are a lot of eye care problems where it won't become obvious to parents watching their children until later stages."
Barker said the earlier that eye conditions are detected during infancy, the easier it is to correct the condition. The program is not need-based, and benefits families of any income level.
"It's a voluntary program where doctors across the country were approached and it was set up by the American Optometric Association with some grant money," Barker said. "People of any income level can come in with their child between six and 12 months and have an eye exam done at no cost just to make sure they get a good start in life with their eyes."
While parents frequently schedule checkups for their infants with pediatricians, some parents simply do not give enough attention to eye care and vision.
"Traditionally infants have really been an underserved population of people, mostly because people didn't know about it," Roelfs said. "Oftentimes, the eyes and the vision were neglected just simply because people didn't know about it. This is a program to try and get people aware of the need to do that."
Roelfs said the program is also an opportunity for parents to become educated about measures that can reduce the overall likelihood of serious eye conditions.
"With infants, there are specific eye conditions which, if caught early enough, can be managed and really treated very effectively before they become a problem for the child," Roelfs said. "It's a really nice program to be associated with and I think it's very helpful to educate people about it."
In Iowa, it appears Congressional representatives are seeing eye to eye through a bipartisan lens on the InfantSEE program. Both of Iowa's representatives in the United States Senate issued statements citing the program as a medical advantage for infants.
"InfantSEE is doing much more than identifying and treating risk factors that may cause eye and vision problems later in the life," said Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. "They are taking prevention to a new level to ensure healthier, thriving children and lower health care costs down the road."
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley also said the program will allow families to utilize preventative care.
"I hope Iowa parents take advantage of this free public service to have their babies screened for potential vision problems," Grassley said. "Taking your children to see the doctor regularly promotes wellness and can help detect and prevent serious health issues."
Leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives delegation from Iowa have also pledged their support for the InfantSEE program. Republican Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King, as well as Democratic Reps. Leonard Boswell, Dave Loebsack and Bruce Braley urged Iowa parents to have their infants' eyes assessed during InfantSEE Week.
With the hopes of encouraging parents to take advantage of the InfantSEE program and to help protect infant vision and eye health, Gov. Chet Culver officially declared next week as InfantSEE Week in the state of Iowa.
Studies indicate that one in 10 children are at risk for undiagnosed eye and vision problems, which, if undetected, could lead to permanent vision impairment, and in rare cases life-threatening health risks. However, only 14 percent of children from infancy to age six have had a comprehensive eye assessment from an eye care professional.
With the efforts of Barker and Roelfs, great strides are being made in Boone and surrounding areas to ensure that potential eye and vision problems are detected early. Infant eye assessments have been available in Iowa since the InfantSEE program began in 2005.
The program launched in 2005 with support from honorary national chairman and former President Jimmy Carter. Since that time, approximately 8,000 optometrists nationwide have volunteered their time to provide assessments to infants in their communities. The majority of vision problems detected included retinoblastoma (eye cancer), severe hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), congenital glaucoma and congenital cataract.
To continue to improve infant eye assessment rates in Boone and surrounding areas, the following local eye care providers will offer no-cost InfantSEE eye assessments from March 23 to March 27, by appointment:
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718 Story St.
Dr. Jim Barker
432-2020
Boone Vision Center
621 Story St.
Dr. Casey Roelfs
432-2973
Reach staff writer Matt Oliver at moliver@newsrepublican.com
