Don't overlook the importance of your pediatric patients
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--- Michael D. DePaolis, OD
When was the last time you reflected on the pediatric aspect of your practice?
For most clinicians, children permeate the practice almost by chance. A highly myopic parent brings her child in to see if this dreaded malady has been inherited. A pediatric colleague asks your opinion concerning a youngster manifesting conjunctivitis nonresponsive to treatment. Or, perhaps, a school nurse refers a struggling student who has failed a vision screening.
Indeed, these children end up in our office for a variety of reasons, but rarely by their own volition! Apparently, this why so many practitioners don't make a significant effort to market, accommodate or specialize in pediatric eye care.
The irony is that children are arguably as important as any patients in our practice. True, they aren't as likely to present with intriguing conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or keratoconus. Nonetheless, their problems warrant the same unyielding attention as do their parents' problems. Undoubtedly, something as routine as prescribing for a mild refractive error can have a significant effect in a youngster's life.
But, our role as primary eye care providers goes much further.
Consider the importance of identifying and treating amblyopia. Or implementing a course of visual therapy. Or of fitting contact lenses to lessen myopic progression or improve self-esteem. Or of prescribing eye drops to make summer's outdoor activities more comfortable. And last, but certainly not least, consider our role in identifying the child at risk for physical abuse.
In each of these scenarios we have the opportunity and responsibility to make decisions with far-reaching ramifications. Indeed, what we do today can influence more than just the visual development of our pediatric patients.
When one considers these issues, you cannot help but to recognize the importance of pediatric eye care.
Kids are not merely "appointments" who happen to "accompany" their parents, but rather patients who warrant the same clinical acumen and commitment as does anyone else.
And if these arguments are not convincing enough, consider the fact that today's children are your practice's decision-making patients of tomorrow.