on the net
This site focuses on pediatric ophthalmology

Though only about 640 U.S. ophthalmologists specialize in treating children, it's an area of eye care that should be of interest to every practicing ophthalmologist. The new, attractive Web site of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) -- www.aapos.org -- is a good place to visit to gain a greater understanding of current thinking related to the practice of pediatric ophthalmology.

One of the site's key attractions is the archived issues of the Journal of the AAPOS. The journal is a lively publication that's in the forefront of presenting the case against mandatory comprehensive eye examinations for children. AAPOS and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) are arrayed against optometry interests and the business-backed Vision Council of America on this controversial issue.

If you visit the site for no other reason, go there to read the policy statement on "Vision Screening for Infants and Children" adopted by AAPOS and the AAO in 2003. Then read a related article and guest editorial published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of the AAPOS.

The article reports on a study by Vanderbilt University researchers who followed thousands of preschoolers tested through Tennessee's statewide vision screening program. The researchers found that 174 of 890 children with normal vision and no amblyogenic factors had been prescribed eyeglasses they didn't need, with optometrists misdiagnosing 145 of those children.

The accompanying editorial, written by Steven J. Lichtenstein, M.D., is a scathing indictment of the Kentucky program of mandatory comprehensive eye exams. Dr. Lichtenstein, who practices in Kentucky, finds the program costly and inefficient.

The aapos.org site also offers valuable information on treatment options for adult strabismus, AAPOS policy statements issued in recent years, and links to the sites of support groups for children's eye conditions.

Visit: www.aapos.org

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com or call him at (215) 643-8013.