Enfant Pediatric VEP Testing System Information

Approximately 200,000 children are born each year with a vision deficit, such as amblyopia (or “lazy eye”), making it one of the most common pediatric health issues in the United States.

However, according to Barry Goldman, MDof Children’s Health Center(Gurnee, IL) and Dov Shapiro, MD, of Associated Pediatric Partners(Northbrook, Aurora and Buffalo Grove, IL), the majority of these vision problems are not always obvious to parents.

“Children are very adaptable and learn to cope with decreased vision in early life,”says Dr. Goldman. “Until a child can fully respond verbally to the letters on a standard eye chart, it is often difficult, even for doctors, to determine if there is a vision issue present.”

While conditions like amblyopia may often go unnoticed in young children, the following signs may indicate that your child has a vision issue present:

• Blinks or rubs his eyes a lot
• Does not make steady eye contact or his eyes wander
• Eyes look crossed or one seems to be going the wrong way
• Holds things very close to his eyes when looking at them
• Shuts or covers up one eye when trying to see something
• Squints or frowns while looking at objects
• Extra clumsy: bumping into things or falling more than other children
• Developmental lag: it is estimated that 75% of learning in young children is via sight

To be sure, a new, child-friendly test is providing parents with objective information about the development and function of their children’s vision system.

Using Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) technology, the Enfant™Pediatric VEP Vision Testing Systemprovides pediatricians with a unique diagnostic tool to assess patients as young as six months of age. Treatment of a vision deficit is most successful when it is detected early.

The Enfant™objectively detects issues earlier than traditional vision tests because it works by using VEP and proprietary software to evaluate the child’s entire vision system (from the eye to the brain) without the need for the patient to respond verbally. The test utilizes a flat panel screen that features fun, child-friendly characters and graphics accompanied by music. The test can be completed in five to seven minutes, during a standard well check-up, and is reimbursable by most insurance carriers.

In an effort to shed light on some of the more subtle warning signs of vision problems in young children, Diopsys, Inc., developer and marketer of the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System, has created an online vision assessment quiz at www.freevisionquiz.com.

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

For more information or to find a pediatrician with the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System in your area, visit www.enfantvision.com.

* I was not compensated in any way to share this information.