InfantSEE® 

At Omaha Primary EyeCare, we are proud to be a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and to be enrolled as InfantSEE® providers. InfantSEE® is a nationwide public health program designed to ensure that vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child’s quality of life. 

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The program mandates that InfantSEE® assessments do the following: 

  1. Identify and treat risk factors that may have adverse effects on eye and vision health.  
  2. Reduce the impact of amblyopia (presently 1 in 30) and other conditions that may lead to impairments and/or loss of sight, or affect a child’s spatial and cognitive development, through early identification.  
  3. Educate parents about the importance of eye care for their children.  

 

What does an InfantSEE® assessment include? 

Through InfantSEE®, optometrists provide a one-time, comprehensive eye and vision assessment to babies in their first year of life. This typically occurs between the ages of 6 and 12 months, offering early detection of potential eye and vision problems at no cost. 

This assessment will examine: 

  • Visual acuity  
  • Refractive status  
  • Eye movement  
  • Eye alignment and binocular potential 
  • Overall eye health 

 

The stages of vision development 

Most parents believe that vision is something that just develops naturally, and therefore does not need to be checked until school age when it has already fully developed. The truth is that vision is learned—and the most critical stages of vision development occur in the first year of life.  

The InfantSEE® program assists in ensuring babies are aligned with the proper stages of visual development: 

  • At birth: Eyes focus on objects less than a foot away, such as mom’s face when nursing.
  • By 3 months: Eyes follow moving objects and baby reaches for things (it is normal for a child’s eyes to not always track together for the first 6-8 weeks). 
  • By 6 months: Both eyes should focus equally, brainwaves demonstrate the ability to see 20/20 detail, and eye/body coordination skills develop. 
  • By 9 months: Eye contact begins to replace physical contact and eye/body coordination skills develop further. 
  • By 12 months: A baby uses both eyes to judge distance. 

   

What is the goal of InfantSEE®? 

According to new data collected by the AOA, there is a growing need for early vision examination in infants. The data showed that two groups at greater risk for visual concerns were premature babies and minority babies.  

Though babies can’t talk, optometrists use their clinical education, training, and experience along with instruments such as lighted toys to provide non-invasive eye and vision assessments for infants. We are proud to offer InfantSEE® at our Omaha eye care center. Learn more about the program here. Contact our office today to schedule your baby’s InfantSEE® assessment.  

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