Get a free infant vision screening on InfantSEE Day

When my son Charlie was born in 2002 I was sleep-deprived and delirious from shuffling my post-c-section self back and forth from my room to the NICU every 3 hours. Charlie was suspected of having an infection, and had to stay 4 days. While he ended up being completely fine, it was a very stressful time and frankly at this point I'm surprised I remember any of it at all!

However, I did manage to be coherent enough that one afternoon as I was nursing him next to a sunny window I looked deep into his eyes... and saw something which shouldn't have been there.

Two years and dozens of doctor visits later it was determined to be a cataract and we had it removed, but you know what? The whole time Charlie was in the NICU he was examined very closely pretty much all the time, yet I was the one who discovered his condition.

Apparently this is a common story, but there are people out there trying to make sure that all eye problems are discovered before age one.

InfantSEE is a non-profit organization chaired by Jimmy Carter which aims to make free vision testing available for all US infants between the ages of 6 and 12 months. This is a fantastic idea and I can hardly believe how many kids have been helped by this program. The FREE vision assessment is simple and non-invasive.

"Typically, infants sit on their parent’s lap during the assessment, in which the optometrist uses lights and other hand held objects to check that their eyes are working together and that there are no significant refractive issues that will impede proper vision development.  The optometrist may also use drops or a spray to dilate the baby’s pupils to ensure the health of the eye." InfantSEE press release

InfantSEE aims to have a provider within a 30 minute drive of everyone in the US, and to find someone in your area, just go to InfantSEE and enter your zip code. But if you live in the California Bay Area the news is even better. On July 29, 2008 you can go to Family Vision Care in San Carlos and all day long they're doing free vision screening for infants from age 6-12 months.

Just call 650-593-1661 and make an appointment. Seriously, get your baby down there and do it.

Erika also blogs at The Plain Jane Mom Blog. Photo ©2008 Erika Jurney. This is an original Silicon Valley Moms Blog post.