Keep an Eye on Your Child’s Vision
P reventative medicine comes
in many different forms. It
can be dietary changes to
stave off diabetes, immunization
shots, regular dental cleanings or
yearly mammograms. For Dr. Victor
Abdow, a pediatrician at Abdow
Friendship Pediatrics, one way he
practices preventative medicine is
by giving his young patients both
vision and hearing exams during
routine physicals.

“We try to do something that’s
going to prevent further problems
down the road,” said Abdow, whose
practice is located in Rockville,
MD. “That’s what we’re here for, to
prevent issues in the future.”
Abdow has learned that the increase
in technology use has come at
a price for his young patients;
poor vision caused by myopia.

Myopia, or nearsightedness where
distant objects appear blurry, can
be exacerbated through excessive
computer and phone use. The eye
becomes elongated and ultimately
results in a child not being able to
see distant objects clearly.

Although glasses help a child see
clearly they don’t treat myopia,
and it usually gets worse over time,
putting a child at risk for other eye
diseases. Dr. Abdow now works
with local eye care center Treehouse
Eyes, who specializes in treatments
for childhood myopia. The non-
surgical treatments provided at
Treehouse Eyes work to slow or
stop myopia from getting worse.

This appealed to Abdow and his
pursuit of preventative medicine.

He now screens all of his patients
for myopia. With one quick photo,
he is able to determine if myopia is
forming in young children.

24 June 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
What’s a common
misconception parents have in
regards to eyesight?
I think that the common
misconception is that when
patients go to an eye doctor to treat
myopia, they think they’re getting
treatment. But they’re really not
getting treatment. They’re getting
prescription glasses to correct
the vision, which is only going
to worsen over time. As the eye
weakens over time, or becomes
more myopic, the prescription is
going to increase. The vision will
get corrected, but it’s not fixing the
problem. Not many pediatric doctors
seem to test eyesight.

Why do you?
I do vision screens at every physical,
every year. Starting at 12 months, I
screen all my infants and children,
until they’re 18, to look for eye
conditions, not just myopia. Vision
is a big thing. Everybody needs
to have healthy eyes. We have to
drive, we have to read, and we have
to perform. It’s early intervention.

If we can get them help sooner
than later, you can prevent things
progressing and getting worse.

How do you screen for myopia?
Using a device from Treehouse Eyes,
it tells me what your prescription
lens would be. The device is
attached to an iPhone, and I would
have the child look into the camera
and take a photograph. Then, this
device tells me whether the child
has issues with being nearsighted
or farsighted. It gives you an
actual number similar to what an
ophthalmologist or optometrist uses
to determine the correct prescription
eyeglasses. Any number that is
negative signifies that the child has
the start of myopia.

Why is this kind of preventative
medicine important?
If you find myopia sooner rather
than later, you can get better success
with the treatment. The amount
of screen time is exceeding the
recommendations. I think this is
making myopia far worse. And,
people don’t realize that with
myopia, you’re putting yourself at
risk for other conditions—retinal
detachment, macular degeneration,
glaucoma. We can lessen those kinds
of problems with myopia treatment
prevention; which is good for
children. Do eye exams happen at
routine physicals, or is it
something that parents
need to request?
Every time a patient comes into
the office for a physical exam. The
parent should request a vision test.

We offer hearing and vision exams.

Part of the vision screening now,
includes the device that Treehouse
Eyes gave me. Not only do we use
the eye chart where they read the
lines, but I also use their device
to double check. Even if a child
has 20/20 vision, it doesn’t mean
that they’re not prone to myopia.

If I’m giving them the test and get
a negative number, I’m detecting
myopia early.

What kind of preventative
measures do you recommend
when it comes to myopia
and eye health?
Work at keeping the screen time
down.




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You focus on her
science fair project.

We’ll keep her vision from
getting worse in the future.

Kids are growing up with much more screen time and less
outdoor time. As a result, myopia - nearsightedness, where far
away objects appear blurry - is rapidly increasing.

Stronger glasses every year aren’t the answer. While necessary,
glasses only treat the symptoms of myopia. And, myopia
increases the risk of serious eye diseases as your child grows.

We have proven alternatives that help prevent myopia from
getting worse. Visit TreehouseEyes.com/DC or call to schedule
a consultation. Let us help give your child better vision and
healthier eyes for life.

Bethesda: 240-297-5542
Tysons Corner: 703-991-2768
washingtonFAMILY.com June 2017 25