1. Glasses alone do not treat amblyopia
2. Patching does not correct crossed eyes
3. Amblyopia treatment is time sensitive and as a result, it is not wise to wait for the child to decide they are ready to patch
4. Patching does not cure a child’s need for glasses in the future
5. Patching is only effective when done consistently
6. The effects of successful patching last a lifetime
7. Patching works!

If you have any questions, please let us know.

• Silver Medalists:
• Carol L. Shields, M.D.
• Jerry A. Shields, M.D.

• Bronze Distinguished Service Medalists:
• David A. Plager, M.D.
• Michael R. Redmond, M.D. – this medal was awarded to Dr. Redmond in May of 2011 and will be presented to his wife, Mrs. Jane Redmond at the AAPOS annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

If you would like to send a congratulatory message to any of the 2012 Medalists, please use the form below and we will deliver your message to them at the AAPOS annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

If you have any questions, please email info@childrenseyefoundation.org.

Doctors at Baylor College of Medicine advocate genetic evaluation become a part of retinoblastoma care.

The results of the report, published in the November 2011 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, were culled during an eight-year period of genetic testing and evaluation of retinoblastoma patients at Texas Children’s Cancer Center in Houston.

In making genetic evaluation part of routine retinoblastoma care, physicians are more able to determine if the cancer is an inherited disease, known as bilateral retinoblastoma. Bilateral retinoblastoma is frequently identified in infants and younger children, and may affect one or both eyes. Knowing if the retinoblastoma is inherited allows physicians to determine if a patient is at-risk, in the future, for other types of cancers. Unilateral retinoblastoma typically happens in older children, can be inherited or not inherited, and affects only one eye.

In the United States, retinoblastoma is the most prevalent form of malignant eye tumor in children. Approximately 350 babies and children are affected by the malady, which is curable, but can lead to the loss of an eye.

The report documented a multi-discipline team approach that included ophthalmologists, pediatric oncologists, pathologists, geneticist and genetic counselors.

One of the more compelling findings of a recent comprehensive pediatric eye study discovered the presence of myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia among preschool children was determined by their respective ethnic groups.

The research, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, found that among preschoolers in the three ethnic groups studied — Hispanic, African-American and non-Hispanic white children — 4 percent of children had myopia, 21 percent were diagnosed with hyperopia and 10 percent had astigmatism.

The NIH study found that certain eye disorders are more prevalent in certain ethnic groups of preschoolers.

Upon further analysis, the NIH reported that myopia was more prevalent in African-American children at 6 percent, compared to 3 percent of Hispanic children and 1 percent of non-Hispanic white children diagnosed with the condition. Conversely, African-American preschoolers had the lowest incidences of hyperopia at 17 percent, versus 23 percent of Hispanic children and 25 percent of non-Hispanic white children who were diagnosed with hyperopia. Moreover, the NIH study revealed that 6 percent of non-Hispanic white preschoolers were least likely to be diagnosed with astigmatism, whereas Hispanic children, at 13 percent, and African-American preschoolers at 9 percent, were the groups most likely to have an astigmatism disorder.

The study, funded by the NIH’s National Eye Institute, was a collaborative effort between the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study and the Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease Study. The BPEDS and MEPEDS results were culled from nearly 10,000 children ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years and residing in the Los Angeles county and Baltimore areas.

Study participants were evenly divided by gender and the ethnic breakdown was 25 percent non-Hispanic white; 32 percent, Hispanic; and 44 percent, African-American children.

In addition to ethnicity as a risk factor, the research also studied other risk factors including exposure to smoking, health insurance access, and age. According to the NIH report, additional follow-up studies could help researchers in better understanding the risk factors to eye disorders.

Emma is a little ambassador for the Children's Eye Foundation.

The Children’s Eye Foundation advocates for children’s vision health for a number of reasons, including:

• Productive children lead to productive communities – The healthier a child, the more productive he or she will be. Children who lose their sight to preventable blindness also lose about $140,000 in lifetime productivity, according to a white paper written by the president of the Children’s Eye Foundation, Dr. William Gibson, Ph.D. If we can help to detect and treat these problems, we can help communities be more productive.

• Children’s health issues aren’t always a priority – In the political landscape, children’s health issues are often addressed last and the first to be cut when budgets are tight. We think this might be because children are: broke (and can’t donate money), unemployed and can’t vote.

Advocating for children’s vision health isn’t an abstract or complicated concept. To be an advocate, you can:

• Talk with your friends and family about the importance of early detection and treatment of eye disorders
• Keep an eye out for signs of a vision disorder
• Sign up to be a little ambassador and we’ll help you tell your story

Please feel free to share any other ideas you may have about advocating for children’s vision health.

Pregnant women who smoke increase the risk factor of their babies developing strabismus.

Why smoking pregnant women aren’t really that hot

The poetic justice in the refrain of the William Russ Wallace poem, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World, couldn’t be truer based on recent findings of Danish researchers linking pregnant women who smoke, to newborns afflicted with strabismus.

The study, which appeared in the March 10, 2010 edition of The American Journal of Epidemiology, discovered women who smoked during the gestational period were at a 26 percent higher risk of giving birth to strabismus-impaired babies, as opposed to mothers who eschewed smoking while pregnant. Moreover, the amount of cigarettes women in the study smoked was even more of a significant factor in the birth of strabismus babies – and increasingly so – with each daily consumption of a rollup.

Expectant mothers, whose daily cigarette intake was five to nine cigarettes, experienced a 38 percent higher risk of producing babies that developed strabismus, unlike moms who didn’t smoke. And with each passing puff of a full cigarette, those risk factors climbed even higher. The consumption of 10 or more cigarettes increased the development factor of strabismus, to 90 percent. Basically, daily consumption of each cigarette by a pregnant woman, attributed to a 5 percent increase in the chances that a baby develops the condition.

Study results were based on a large-scale health survey of Danish mothers and their babies, in which more than 1,300 strabismus cases were identified.  In addition to the survey, researchers analyzed prenatal health interviews of mothers whose children developed strabismus. These interviews also featured information about mothers’ smoking behaviors.

Not only did women who smoked while pregnant have a tangible effect on the development of strabismus in infants, researchers in an unrelated study also discovered smoking pregnant women impacted male sperm production.

We’ve trained more than 70 physicians, nurses and medical technicians on techniques to screen children’s vision and we’re beginning to enjoy some significant success, including:

• Shortening the average amount of time it takes medical professionals to perform a vision screening
• Before: 8 to 11 minutes
• After 4 to 7 minutes

• Increasing the quality of vision screenings
• Before: sailboat charts, pictured right (among other non-AAP approved charts)
• After: Lea symbols charts and vision screening devices

• Decreasing the average age at which vision screening starts
• Before: 4-years old or older
• After: 3-years old

Most importantly, we’ve helped more than 100 children receive a quality vision screening and helped to ensure that children who are identified as having a problem receive the care they need.

We seek to provide information that will facilitate the best outcomes for conditions that affect the eyes and visual system. The cardinal principle is that early detection of problems has a highly beneficial effect on the outcomes of most eye problems in children.

To these ends, the CEF has ongoing programs to assist families and colleagues in these pursuits, including:

• See By Three: vision screening, amblyopia, and disease detection in the medical home. We collaborate with colleagues in pediatrics to bring tested and effective techniques to early detection.

• Public awareness and information:
• See by Three brochure – details important warning signs of problems in infants and children
• 2012 Eye Care for Kids calendar – raises awareness about vision disorders and the need for early detection and treatment
• Amblyopia 411 – a resource for children and parents managing amblyopia treatment

• Research: we support and participate in research to assess the most effective programs in early detection.

The CEF also recognizes and supports a higher intelligence. We embrace the “secret of the universe”: Mothers know things that no one else can know about their children. A mother’s concern is trustworthy, and should be honored by all!

Join in the conversation! Help us to do a better job for you.

George Beauchamp, MD

Chairman, Children’s Eye Foundation

g.beauchamp@childrenseyefoundation.org