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Resources Aimed at Expanding Scope and Impact of Key Public Health Program for Kids

President Barack Obama yesterday signed into law a measure that provides nearly $600,000 in new federal resources to help expand the scope and impact of InfantSEE® – the signature public health program of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and administered by Optometry’s Charity™ – The AOA Foundation.

On December 16, President Obama signed into law the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2009, which was approved by the U.S. House and Senate and cleared the way for the White House earlier this month. The bill, which provides funding for the operations of many areas of the federal government, includes $590,000 in new direct appropriations for InfantSEE® and is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness.

The first direct appropriation, sponsored by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) totaled $500,000 and is aimed at supporting expansion and outreach of the program.

“Many parents of newborns do not know that the most dramatic development of a child’s visual system occurs within the first year of life,” said Sen. Byrd. “And it is through early detection and treatment of potential problems that parents can help ensure poor vision and eye health does not severely affect their child’s ability to learn and place them at a disadvantage in education and in life.”

The second direct appropriation totaling $90,000 was sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and will support program expansion through outreach in Iowa.

“InfantSEE® is doing much more than identifying and treating risk factors that may cause eye and vision problems later in the life,” said Sen. Harkin. “They are taking prevention to a new level to ensure healthier, thriving children and lower health care costs down the road.”

The InfantSEE® program previously received a direct appropriation sponsored by Sen. Byrd in the fall of 2008 and implemented in 2009. Data collected from the 2009 project display an overall prevalence rate of one in six infants exhibiting a cause for concern (in need of follow-up care or referral to an eye doctor). The data also identified two groups at greatest risk for abnormal vision status: premature and minority infants.

“The fact is that this is so much more than just another big win in Washington, D.C. for our patients and profession,” said Randolph E. Brooks, AOA President. “The expanded funding for InfantSEE® that the AOA has secured provides a new level of recognition from the President and Congress for the leadership role of optometry in delivering needed eye health and care to a critical population.”

InfantSEE® assessments are complementary to the routine well-care exams a baby receives from a pediatrician or family physician. Optometrists have the training to identify areas of risk that are critical to vision development and the skills to identify conditions that might not be detected in a routine pediatric wellness exam. In some cases, conditions may need to be monitored, immediately treated or referred to a pediatric eye specialist.

To learn more about InfantSEE® visit www.InfantSEE.org.