Baby's Eye Exams: InfantSee

The Optometry Association of Louisiana is proud that many of our member doctors provide FREE comprehensive eye exams for babies between 6 & 12 months of age.

Even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, the American Optometric Association recommends scheduling your baby's first eye assessment at 6 months.

Things that the Optometrist will test for include:
  • excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
  • eye movement ability
  • eye health problems
These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this young age. Vision development and eye health problems are easier to correct if treatment begins early.

InfantSEE®, a public health program, managed by Optometry Cares® - the AOA Foundation, is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an essential part of infant wellness care to improve a child's quality of life. Under this program, participating optometrists provide a comprehensive infant eye assessment between 6 and 12 months of age as a no-cost public service. Click here to learn more and locate a doctor in your area who can provide the free infant assessment.

Baby sees parents clearly for first time
Optometrists underscore the importance of infant and early childhood eye exams

It's an emotion often only shared between optometrist and patient—that thrill of seeing clearly for the very first time.

The video of 10-month-old Piper's amazed reaction to seeing her parents clearly for the first time has gone positively viral, taking the message of InfantSEE® and the importance of children's eye exams along with it.

But to optometrists who know the importance of eye exams conducted on very young children, Piper's response isn't unfamiliar. Josiah Young, O.D., of Newport, Kentucky, was doing what he has done dozens of times before as an InfantSEE provider when he diagnosed Piper's hyperopia and prescribed corrective spectacles. What hasn't happened before is having his patient's response take off quite like this.  To find an InfantSee provider in Louisiana, click here.