Texas OD finds cataracts during InfantSEE® visit

September 2007

Reprinted with permission from AOA News.

Sometimes it’s a gut feeling, despite a healthy birth and a normal family history, that makes a parent schedule an InfantSEE® assessment, as one Texas family discovered in June.

The mother brought in her 5-month-old son, accompanied by his grandmother and brother. She indicated her concern that the child only seemed to look at things with his head tilted back.

The family practitioner had told the family not to worry about visual problems until the baby was 6 months old.

“The grandma decided to do some research online, where she found the InfantSEE® program and the Dr. Locator,” said John Todd Cornett, O.D.

Dr. Cornett’s information registered as a search result. Several family members were patients of Dr. Cornett’s, so they were comfortable scheduling an InfantSEE® assessment in his office.

After seeing the InfantSEE® assessment listed on the schedule for Dr. Cornett, his new associate, Shauna Thornhill, O.D., a recent Pacific College of Optometry graduate, asked to observe as she had never been involved in a young infant evaluation.

“As we talked, I was thinking that he looked like he couldn’t see,” said Dr. Cornett. “His mom said he really only liked to look at lights. I noticed an occasional nystagmus. I picked up my transilluminator, and that’s when my heart sank. I looked at his beautiful blue eyes, and there was something odd inside his pupils. They were both really grey. I grabbed my ophthalmoscope, and there was just a faint ring of a red reflex that I could only see with a very eccentric view. The majority of his pupil was totally blocked by a dense cataract in each eye.”

After dilation, Dr. Cornett could see a few retinal vessels around the edge of the dense cataracts.

The local pediatric ophthalmologist was able to see the infant within two hours and scheduled the first cataract removal for the following week.

Dr. Cornett was quick to point out to Dr. Thornhill that this was not a typical InfantSEE® assessment.

“If everything else is okay, the prognosis is good,” said Dr. Cornett. “All it took was a penlight and someone paying attention.”

Dr. Cornett credits the InfantSEE® framework that helps to keep babies from falling through the cracks.

“What I’ll remember most is that little guy,” said Dr. Cornett. “To be his advocate, and not get anything in return, that’s pretty cool.”

For more information about the InfantSEE® program, or to sign up as an InfantSEE® provider, e-mail infantsee@aoa.org, call (800) 365-2219, ext. 4286, or visit www.aoa.org.