Online Quiz Alerts Parents To Vision Problems In Small Children, Babies

I have always wondered how vision can be tested in very young children. As the mom of two boys ages two and under that can't read or speak well enough to do the traditional vision chart, I was happy to hear that there is a new online vision assessment tool that helps alert parents to potential eye problems in children.

This tool is an online vision quiz and, according to it's makers, it highlights the subtle signs of vision problems in children as young as six months of age. Diopsys, Inc., developer and marketer of the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System, has created the online vision assessment quiz at www.freevisionquiz.com.

Visions disorders are the fourth most common disability among children in the U.S. according to the American Academy of Pediatricts (AAP), but many vision problems aren't detected for years. This can cause valuable time to lapse before treatment can begin.

Here is more info straight from the company's press release:

The physician-reviewed, informational quiz, which takes only 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, including such actions as the inability to make steady eye contact, or involuntarily covering one eye to see something better.

According to Sean Donahue, MD, PhD, Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, this vision quiz can help make parents aware of behaviors and other quiet indicators of vision issues.

"Vision problems can often slip by parents – especially with children who have not yet entered school – because kids born with vision deficits don't really recognize that they aren't seeing well," says Dr. Donahue. "Many parents are surprised to learn that their child is having trouble seeing without them realizing it."

The new quiz does not take the place of a professional vision examination, but it is there to create awareness of a silent problem.

"Children should have routine vision screenings starting at six months of age, according to AAP recommendations," adds Dr. Donahue.

The quiz was developed by the vision experts at Diopsys, Inc., a medical instrumentation company dedicated to delivering high-quality, cost-effective preventative health care. The company specializes in the development and marketing of patient-friendly, non-invasive diagnostic vision testing equipment utilizing Evoked Potential technology. One such device is the Enfant^TM Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System, which can test children as young as six months of age for vision problems like amblyopia (commonly known as lazy eye). It is available in select pediatric practices nationwide.

I personally took the test for both of my boys and found it quick and easy to fill out. It made me think about behaviors that I might not have wondered about. Now that I've taken the quiz, I am going to talk to my boys' doctor about setting up a vision screening. Am I the only parent that didn't realize they need vision screening so young? I am glad there is now any easy tool to help parents like me.

For information, please visit www.enfantvision.com. To fill out the online vision assessment to see if your child's behavior may indicate a problem, visit www.freevisionquiz.com.