Doctor Saves Child’s Life Through Comprehensive Youth Exam
I have worked with children for as long as I can remember. From babysitting, to teaching, to Nanning for three; when it comes to kids, you name it, I’ve done it!
Children are a huge responsibility, and even though I have never had any of my own, I know how hard it can be to keep up with all of the appointments a child needs. From the point a baby is born you are constantly going to the pediatrician every few months for checkups, followups, or shots. Many of my friends have children, and not one of them have ever thought to add the eye doctor to their list of routine doctor visits for their infant. With everything else a mother needs to remember, the normal doctor visits ( pediatrician, ear, nose and throat doctor, etc) are really the ones most people cover. Even with my work in childcare, I never thought about taking a baby to the eye doctor. “If they can’t talk to tell you what their seeing, how can we know that there is a problem with their vision,” is what I always thought; and that was the majority of the responses I got from my friends when talking to them about taking their babies to the optometrist. Truth be told, many eye problems can occur without noticeable symptoms.
After being educated by the Envision Eyecare team about the importance of taking your infant to the optometrist, I knew I needed to spread the word about early preventative eye care for infants to all of my friends. The team at Envision shared with me the amazing benefits of a program called InfantSee. The InfantSee program was developed to provide a one-time, no cost eye and vision assessment for babies six to twelve months old. This early preventative care is to evaluate the overall health of the eye and detect any discrepancies a child may have, early on. It was shortly after learning about the InfantSee program that I read an amazing article about Dr. Golson’s college classmate, Dr. Jerry Gerdes, OD, who was just recognized for saving a child’s life through this phenomenal eye health benefit.
Dr. Gerdes detected a cancerous tumor behind a little girls eye that was life threatening. She had, had no warning signs that her parents noticed and acted like a perfectly normal baby. After discovering the BB sized tumor, the little girl was taken to surgery where it was removed. She received treatment but unfortunatley lost the eye after about three months. If she had not been evaluated by Dr. Gerdes the day of her appointment, she may have lost more than her eye; she could have lost her life.
Visit the Oakdale Journal’s website (link below) and take a look at the article about Dr. Gerdes and read this breathe taking story about how preventative care really does make a difference. Envision Eyecare is a participant in the InfantSee program, and we would love to evaluate your child at your earliest convenience. Come by our office to learn more about this program and pick up a pamphlet of information. Dr. Golson and the team are ready to serve your child’s eye health needs, and we are always looking for kids to spoil with hugs and stickers! Bring your infant by today, and let us take care of you!
Visit http://www.etypeservices.com/SWF/LocalUser/oakdale1//Magazine14399/Full/index.aspx?id=14399 to view the article about Dr. Gerdes.