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InfantSee presentation discusses pediatric eye exams
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LAS VEGAS – In a lecture presented by the InfantSee program and attended by members of the American Optometric Students Association Thursday at Optometry’s Meeting, Valerie Kattouf, OD, dispensed clinical pearls for conducting a pediatric eye exam.
“There is so much fear in seeing infants, not just in students, but in practitioners,” she said. “I want to take away the fear.”
“She emphasized the need for practitioners to be flexible in working with children. She recommended: scheduling appointments when the child is alert, allowing the child to stay with his or her parent, working quickly and to keep talking, having toys and puppets available and using effective reinforcement, such as verbal praise, stickers or prizes.
“Dr. Kattouf also emphasized that testing for children should always been done out of the phoropter. “Do nothing with the phoropter,” she said.
“Dr. Kattouf said she cyclopleges all new patients younger than 5 years using a cycloplegic spray. She finds this preferable to administering three separate cycloplegic drops. “Children tend not to sit still for that,” she said. She said the primary goal at all times for a pediatric vision exam is to rule out amblyogenic factors. “That is what we’re always looking for,” she said.