by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Vision is priceless.
This couldn’t be more true for Dr. Robert Hered, the creator of a new interactive vision screening CD who announced yesterday at a City Hall press conference that the CD is completed and will be distributed to pediatricians and eye care physicians throughout the state, free of charge.
“This has taken several years and lots of long nights, but the effort has paid off,” said Hered, chief pediatric ophthalmologist at Nemours Children’s Clinic and medical director of the Vision is Priceless Children’s Program. “I know that this will be a tool for physicians everywhere and hopefully will help many children in the years to come.”
The Pediatric Vision Screening Program — piloted by the Vision Is Priceless Council and Nemours — teaches practical techniques for screening children from birth to five years of age. VIP Council staff and volunteers partnered with Nemours, the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville and the Florida Society of Ophthalmology to create the project that Hered says will change the way infants and preschool children are screened at their doctor’s office. It will educate pediatricians and family practitioners on various methods for screening for things like red reflex, corneal light reflex and the Bruckner test.
Also on hand were some of Dr. Hered’s patients, who were also in the video. Mayor John Peyton thanked the children and parents who attended, emphasizing the importance of the program and the key role the community plays in spreading awareness.
“That is what this kickoff is about: raising awareness,” said Peyton. “It is truly teamwork and partnerships that deliver great things to Jacksonville, not governments alone. This is another example of one of those great partnerships where everyone pulls together.”