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See by Three prompts earlier vision screening for kids
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@acnpapers.com
Plano resident Thomas Rogers left a promising career in Corporate America to open eyes to the importance of child vision screenings.
As the executive director of the Children's Eye Foundation, Rogers has implemented the See by Three program, a vision screening program geared at detecting and treating eye disorders at the earliest age possible.
"Every child in the classroom is at risk for vision loss -- sometimes it's more than just glasses, sometimes patching or surgery is required," Rogers said. "Vision disorders can lead to vision loss and it is critically important, especially in young persons, because as they grow and develop their sight and brain development, if it can be treated at an early age there's a higher chance the treatment will be successful."
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "Early vision screening can lead to the detection, treatment and prevention of many eye diseases. If all children receive vision screening at well-child visits in their medical home, permanent visual loss due to amblyopia (or lazy eye) will decrease significantly."
The father of two sons free of vision problems, Rogers said such is unfortunately not the case for many North Texas children, given that one in 20 babies born in the United States need the specialized medical care of a pediatric ophthalmologist to halt permanent vision loss. Since the program was implemented in Florida and West Virginia, nearly 10,000 children have received vision screenings thanks to the See by Three program.
"What's unfortunate is many times vision problems don't have any outward signs," Rogers said. "When the eyes are working well together they see a single image. Disorders like amblyopia cause the eyes to see two images of the same thing and the brain tries to make sense of it by shutting one [of the eyes] off. If that process starts it can be very difficult to reverse."
Board certified pediatrician Kalyani Raja, M.D., S.A.A.P., has been using the See by Three program at her practice in Irving for several months and said the grant has proven to be beneficial for providing the proper training to her and her staff.
"I think the program is amazing. We were convinced it was very difficult to screen a 3-year-old," Raja said. "We had never screened under the age of 4. With this grant there's a push to be more open-minded and screen 18 months and up."
Raja said they have already been able to detect vision disorders in many children, including an 18-month-old. Although it isn't a proven fact, Raja said the See by Three program may help cut down the number of unnecessary referrals by being able to determine these disorders at a routine well-baby visit.
"Rogers and others came out four separate times -- twice to train us on equipment and twice to train us on eye charts; it was very helpful," Raja said. "I feel so privileged to be able to participate in the See by Three Program."
For information on the Children's Eye Foundation and the See by Three program, visit www.childrenseyefoundation.org.
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