National Amblyopia Youth Spokesperson Named
Despite multiple examinations by her pediatrician and participation in school vision screenings, no one ever noticed that Kennedy Biederman couldn't see out of her left eye. Now the 7-year old has been named the 'Check Yearly. See Clearly' campaign's National Youth Amblyopia Spokesperson, a position she will use to educate the public about the condition and the need for children to visit an eye doctor for an eye exam.
'Neither I nor my wife wear glasses, so I guess we just took for granted that our daughter would have good eyesight as well', said Jason Biederman, Kennedy's father. When she first visited an eye doctor, Kennedy was diagnosed with amblyopia and found to be legally blind in her left eye; her 'good' right eye had only 20/80 vision. 'I was mortified', Jason said, 'I could not understand how she was even functioning in school'.
Amblyopia affects 500,000 preschoolers and is the leading cause of vision loss in young Americans. It is characterized by uncorrectable blurry vision in an eye that is otherwise physically healthy. Treatment is most useful if started before age five, and seldom useful if started after age 10. Delays in treatment can result in permanent vision loss in the affected eye.
Despite the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, millions of children have never received an eye exam. Instead, only 25 percent of children receive a simple vision screening at a physician's office or school. But according to medical studies, vision screenings often fail to identify many children with amblyopia and other serious vision problems.
As the National Amblyopia Youth Spokesperson, Kennedy will appear in a print public service announcement and a poster distributed to eye doctors, schools and libraries across the country. She will also have the opportunity to speak with the media, educators, eye doctors, legislators, parents and others about the importance of eye exams for children.
The Check Yearly campaign seeks to educate Americans about the important role eye exams play in preserving healthy vision. It was developed in consultation with ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians and has been endorsed by more than 300 organizations. In three years, the campaign has reached more than 100 million people through a combination of patient education materials, media relations and community outreach.
