InfantSee celebrates second birthday

BOSTON – A young mother and her sprightly toddler helped put a face to the InfantSee program during a press conference to celebrate its second year of success.

“InfantSee E really saved her life,” said Stacey Zellers, holding her bespectacled 20-month-old daughter, Gracie, on her hip.

Ms. Zellers, Scott Jens, OD, chair of the InfantSee Committee and Glen Steele, OD, chief of pediatrics at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, came together to report on the public health initiative during a press conference at Optometry’s Meeting.

Ms. Zellers took Gracie for an evaluation after seeing a story about the public health initiative on “The Today Show.” Gracie was 7 months old at the time and had been given a clean bill of health from her pediatrician well visits, but Ms. Zellers said she worried that her baby daughter might inherit her father’s nearsightedness.

Paul Wagner, OD, of Chandler, Ariz., examined Gracie and found something behind he left eye. He referred her to a pediatric ophthalmologist, where she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. The cancerous tumor was removed and Gracie is healthy and happy now, her mom reported.

So far, 100,000 infants have been assessed through the InfantSee program, which was launched by the American Optometric Association with support from Johnson & Johnson. Clinicians analyzed the data from 10,000 of those assessments, and 11% of those babies were found to be at risk for having eye problems. “That’s an increase from the year before,” Dr. Jens said.

Dr. Steele said he was moved during the earlier House of Delegates meeting when the audience was asked who saw InfantSee patients within the last 3 months. “Almost two-thirds of the group stood up,” he said. “That made me feel good.” Ms. Zellers, who has a teaching background, now tells everyone she can about the program. “I’m a strong believer in early intervention,” she said.