Parents, This Is An Eye Opener: Your Child's Visual Health

Parents have an innate knowledge and are naturally attuned to the needs of their children. Its common knowledge to know what your children’s favorite foods are, what shoe size they wear and what cartoons they like to watch. But, how can we as parents know if our children can see correctly? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), vision disorders are the fourth most common disability among children in the United States, yet many vision problems can take years to detect, making treatment more difficult as vital time passes. In an effort to shed light on some of the more subtle warning signs of vision problems in young children, Diopsys Inc., a developer and marketer of the Enfant® Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System has created an online vision assessment quiz at  www.freevisionquiz.com.  The physician reviewed informational quiz, which quite literally only takes a few minutes to complete; is comprised of multiple choice questions covering several areas that can "red flag" signs of a potential vision problem in children of various ages. This includes such actions as the inability to make steady eye contact, or involuntarily covering one eye to see something better. The new quiz does not take  the place of a professional examination by a qualified professional, but is designed for informational purposes and to help create awareness of a common problem that all to often goes unnoticed. 

One of the greatest moments when having a child is the first time your newborn daughter or son opens their eyes and makes eye contact with you.It takes several months for your child's vision to develop fully. Knowing the milestones of your baby's vision development (and what you can do to help it along) can insure your child is seeing properly and enjoying his/her world to the fullest.

Diopsys Inc. is a medical instrumentation company that is dedicated to delivering high quality, cost effective preventative health care. They specialize in the development and marketing of patient friendly, non-invasive diagnostic vision testing equipment utilizing Evoked Potential Technology. Diopsys Inc. has developed and markets the patented Enfant® Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System utilized by opthamologists and optometrists to for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of vision disorders. 

Eye-Opening Facts about Amblyopia in Children

♦ More commonly referred to as "lazy eye," amblyopia is decreased vision that results when one (or both) eyes sends a blurry image to the brain, inhibiting development of the vision system.
♦ According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, amblyopia is the most common vision problem in children; an estimated 4 out of every 100 children under age six have amblyopia.

♦ Prevent Blindness America says that only 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have a vision test before kindergarten.

♦ More than 3.8 million adults are legally blind or visually incapacitated in at least one eye due to amblyopia that was left untreated.

I encourage you to take a moment and visit www.freevisionquiz.com. I took the quiz in regards to my nephews Nick (aged 3) and Jake (age 1), and was interested enough in the outcome and concerned enough to make an appointment with the pediatrician for Jake, for peace of mind. This is considering that I've had visual problems since birth and both of their parents do, as well.