NEW ORLEANS, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the overwhelming number of children with eye and vision problems across the United States, Louisiana optometrists are devoting appointments to no-cost, comprehensive eye and vision assessments for infants between six to 12 months of age through InfantSEE(R). InfantSEE(R), a public health program developed by Optometry's Charity(TM) - The AOA Foundation in partnership with The Vision Care Institute(TM), LLC a Johnson & Johnson company, was designed to provide professional eye care for infants nationwide at no-cost, regardless of family income or number of eligible children.
"InfantSEE(R) is an excellent example of a wellness program that improves public health while driving down future health care costs," said U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA). "Louisiana doctors offering this no-cost exam are doing a great service to their community. I urge all families to take advantage of this free service. Early detection and treatment is the key to addressing vision problems that may affect a child's ability to read and learn."
"This very worthy program is helping ensure that children across Louisiana are provided with access to quality vision care and preventative screenings," said U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). "Undetected vision problems can have a serious effect on the wellbeing of a child. The InfantSEE(R) program will provide infant screening services to help diagnose and detect potential problems before they become serious and that's something that all parents should take advantage of."
Leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives delegation from Louisiana have also expressed their support for the InfantSEE(R) program. U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise, Anh "Joseph" Cao, Charlie Melancon, John Fleming, M.D., Rodney Alexander, William "Bill" Cassidy, M.D. and Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. urged local parents to have their infant's eyes assessed during InfantSEE(R) Week.
To encourage parents to take advantage of the InfantSEE(R) program and to help protect infant vision and eye health, Governor Bobby Jindal has officially declared Monday, August 3 through Friday, August 14 InfantSEE(R) Week in Louisiana.
One in 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed eye and vision problems, which, if undetected, could lead to permanent vision impairment, and in rare cases, life-threatening health risks. However, only 14 percent of children from infancy to age six have had a comprehensive eye assessment from an eye care professional. In Louisiana, great strides are being made to ensure that potential eye and vision problems are detected early. Infant eye assessments have been available in Louisiana since the InfantSEE(R) program launched in 2005.
"Many parents are surprised to learn that the first year of life is one of the most critical stages of a child's visual development," said Dr. Jeff Anastasio, a Louisiana optometrist and InfantSEE(R) provider. "It's the ideal time to detect eye and vision problems before these conditions worsen or cause developmental delays."
The program launched in 2005 with support from former President Jimmy Carter, honorary national chair. Nearly 8,000 optometrists nationwide volunteer their time to provide assessments to babies in their communities. The majority of vision problems detected included retinoblastoma (eye cancer), severe hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), congenital glaucoma and congenital cataract.
"As a parent, one of my biggest concerns is making sure my child's development is on track," said Crystal Payne, a local mother of Randy, age 19 months. "When I learned about the InfantSEE(R) program, it was an obvious decision to take Randy for an assessment. Knowing his vision is healthy puts my mind at ease!"
To continue to improve infant eye assessment rates in Louisiana, parents can bring their infant in for a no-cost assessment at the VSP InfantSEE(R) Mobile Clinic stationed in towns across the state. Also, for those parents who can't make it to the VSP InfantSEE(R) Mobile Clinic, optometrists from around the state will be providing these no-cost InfantSEE(R) eye assessments from August 3 through 14 in their offices by appointment.
VSP InfantSEE(R) Mobile Clinic Schedule - Walk-ins accepted
Monday, August 3 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
New Orleans/Gretna, L.A. - Academy Sports: 50 Westbank Hwy., Gretna
Tuesday, August 4 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
New Orleans, L.A. - Wal-Mart: 1901 Tchoupitoulas St.
Wednesday, August 5 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Slidell, L.A. - North Shore Square Mall: 150 Northshore Blvd.
Thursday, August 6 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Baton Rouge, L.A. - McKinley Alumni Association: 1520 Thomas Delpit Dr.
Friday, August 7 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Baton Rouge, L.A. - Wal-Mart: 9350 Cortana Place
Monday, August 10 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Lafayette, L.A. - Mall of Acadiana: 5725 Johnston St.
Tuesday, August 11 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Lake Charles, L.A. - Wal-Mart: 3453 Nelson Rd.
Wednesday, August 12 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Alexandria, L.A. - Wal-Mart: 2050 N. Mall Dr.
Thursday, August 13 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monroe, L.A. - Pecanland Mall: 4700 Milhaven Rd.
Friday, August 14 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Shreveport, L.A. - Uptown Mall: 4800 Line Ave
Participating Optometrist offering NO-COST InfantSEE(R) Assessments in
their Offices - Appointment Required
ALEXANDRIA
Dr. Cornel LeBlanc
5917 Jackson St.
318-445-5292
Dr. William Risinger
3908 Parliament Dr.
318-445-5319
Dr. Lacy Shaw
5615-B Jackson Street Ext.
318-442-7787
BATON ROUGE
Dr. Elmo Dean
4747 O' Neal Ln.
225-755-0988
Dr. Susan Jong
5151 Bluebonnet
225-769-6010
Dr. Eric Thai
11331 Old Hammond Hwy.
225-246-8830
Dr. Wendy Waguespack
7932 Picardy Ave., Ste. A
225-767-8495
BOSSIER CITY
Dr. Christine Pastilong
927 Benton Rd.
318-747-0302
COVINGTON
Dr. Jeffrey Anastasio
Dr. Shelly Anastasio
190 Breenbriar Blvd.
985-875-7898
Dr. Mark Siverd
880 N. Hwy 190
985-867-8708
CROWLEY
Dr. John Wise
509 N. Ave. G
337-783-1280
DENHAM SPRINGS
Dr. Chris Wroten
222 Veterans Blvd.
225-791-2020
Dr. Brandon Wax
222 Veterans Blvd., Ste B
225-665-2828
DESTREHAN
Dr. Sandra Warner
1974 Ormond Blvd., Ste. 7
985-764-2929
DONALDSONVILLE
Dr. Devjani Lahiri-Munir
309 Iberville St.
225-665-2020
EUNICE
Dr. J.D. Miller
350 Moosa Blvd.
337-457-5277
GREENWELL SPRINGS
Dr. Kevin Rogers
18522 Magnolia Bridge Rd.
225-261-6282
GONZALES
Dr. Ed Adams
Dr. Cory Boudreau
2308 S. Burnside Ave.
225-647-6549
HARAHAN
Dr. Stephanie White
5110 Jefferson Hwy.
504-818-1463
JENNINGS
Dr. Tim Barry
418 N. Main St.
337-824-3937
LAFAYETTE
Dr. Dave Fisher
1458 S. College Rd., Ste. 103
337-237-2110
Dr. Cathy Guidry
5725 Johnston, #2314
337-984-2410
Dr. Erica Lukasko
4906 Ambassador Caffrery Pkwy.
337-237-2110
Dr. Patrick Magee
4510 Ambassador Caffrery Pkwy.
337-984-2020
Dr. Don Mizelle
225 N. College Ave.
337-269-0505
LAKE CHARLES
Dr. Rebecca Cronan
3451 Nelson Rd.
337-474-6850
Dr. Jeffrey Hankin
1717 Oak Park Blvd.
337-478-3810
Dr. Rick McGuirt
111 W. McNeese St.
337-478-2020
Dr. Keith Menard
1920 W. Sale Rd., Bldg. F, Ste. 3
337-439-4014
LEESVILLE
Dr. Cherri Cowan
1100 N. 5th St.
337-239-2020
Dr. Kayla Gaddis
1106 Port Annur Terrace Blvd.
337-392-1994
MANDEVILLE
Dr. Oliver Whitney
3933 Hwy. 59
985-626-5242
MARKSVILLE
Dr. Christine Childress Goudeau
108 Medic Ave.
318-253-9766
MONROE
Dr. William Gordon
3000 Forsythe Ave.
318-807-2020
Dr. Michael Haynes
1020 N. 3rd St.
318-323-4994
NATCHITOCHES
Dr. Cheryl Stoker
925 Keyan Ave.
318-352-0400
Dr. Pete Wardell
140 E. 5th St.
318-357-8194
NEW IBERIA
Dr. Steven Landrum
921 S. Lewis St.
337-367-3834
NEW ORLEANS
Dr. Kefla Brown
1514 Jefferson Hwy.
504-842-3995
Dr. David Heitmeier
3501 Holiday Dr., Ste. 201
504-368-7081
Dr. Jarrett Ann Johnson
1530 N. Broad St.
504-943-0070
Dr. Mike Kleamenakis
4114 Marigny St.
504-288-2333
OAKDALE
Dr. Jerry Gerdes
414 E. 7th Ave.
318-335-3275
OPELOUSAS
Dr. Van Christian
232 N. Union
337-948-9504
RUSTON
Dr. Gary Avallone
911 Tech Dr.
318-251-9095
Dr. Jennifer Floyd
303 N. Trenton
318-202-5845
SHREVEPORT
Dr. Alisa Brogden
5848 Line Ave.
318-865-0017
SULPHUR
Dr. Patrick Fontenot
525 N. City Service Hwy.
337-625-9075
Dr. Robert Janot
2245 Maplewood Dr.
337-625-2020
TERRYTOWN
Dr. Cary Vincent
608 Terry Pkwy.
504-361-3937
THIBODAUX
Dr. David Mitchell
302 Ridgefield Rd.
985-447-2393
WEST MONROE
Dr. Larry Blackmon
303 McMillan Rd.
318-387-7257
Dr. Marcus Yaeger
3805 Cypress St.
318-325-3937
WINNFIELD
Dr. Jimmy Walker
207 S. Saint John St.
318-628-7992
InfantSEE(R) assessments are complementary to the routine well-care exams a baby receives from a pediatrician or family physician. Optometrists have the training to identify areas of risk that are critical to vision development and the skills to identify conditions that might not be detected in a routine pediatric wellness exam. In some cases, conditions may need to be monitored, immediately treated or referred to a pediatric eye specialist.
To learn more about InfantSEE(R), visit www.InfantSEE.org or call (877) 252-2447.
Stay up-to-date on the VSP InfantSEE(R) Mobile Clinic at:
www.twitter.com/SeeLia
www.twitter.com/SeeZar
About InfantSEE(R)
InfantSEE(R) is a public health program managed by Optometry's Charity(TM) - The AOA Foundation. Designed to ensure that eye and vision care become an integral part of infant wellness and improve a child's quality of life, doctors of optometry provide a single eye and vision assessment to infants free-of-charge regardless of socioeconomic status. For more information visit infantsee.org.
About the American Optometric Association
American Optometric Association doctors of optometry are highly qualified, trained doctors, on the frontline of eye health and vision care, who examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases and disorders of the eye. In addition to providing eye and vision care, optometrists play a major role in an individual's overall health and well-being by detecting systemic diseases. Doctors of optometry have the skills and training to provide more than two-thirds of all primary eye care in the United States. The American Optometric Association represents more than 36,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and paraoptometric assistants and technicians in nearly 6,500 communities across the country. For more information, visit www.aoa.org.
About The Vision Care Institute
The Vision Care Institute of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. is an innovative educational resource created to prepare optometry students for a successful transition into the real world of delivering quality eye care, as well as to assist practicing Eye Care Professionals in the growth and development of their practice. The state-of-the-art facility gives participants a rare opportunity to gain first-hand experience with the latest in vision diagnostic and treatment technologies through hands-on contact lens instruction. Besides clinical training, participants also concentrate on communication skills. The curriculum, taught by leading eye care practitioners from around the country, gives participants the skills and confidence necessary to excel in today's professional practice. The Vision Care Institute has hosted students from all 19 of the schools and colleges of optometry throughout North America at its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.
About VSP Global
VSP(R) Global includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 55 million members; Marchon(R) Eyewear Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers, designers and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity(R)/Officemate(R) which offer innovative solutions and the premier management software and technology to improve overall practice management and patient experience; VSP Labs, industry leaders in new technologies, production processes, service and logistics.
Since 1997, VSP has provided more than 529,500 low-income, uninsured children with free eyecare. Through relationships including those with the American Diabetes Association and Prevent Blindness America, VSP promotes the importance of annual eye exams for maintaining eye health and overall wellness.
Contact: Julie Mahoney
(314) 983-4176
JMMahoney@aoa.org
Jill Novelo
(916) 549-4294
jillnovelo@vsp.com
Madonna Duncan
(312) 255-3143
madonna.duncan@hillandknowlton.com
