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October 15, 2024
By Trinae Rosato, OD
Scheduling family members of your established patients only strengthens the relationships you have and adds value to what eye care and myopia management can bring to children as they grow.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you ask an optometrist the question, “Do you see kids in your practice?” they might answer, “I don’t see kids” or “Not really.” Chances are that might not be true. Oftentimes, we hear the word “kids” and think of 3- to 5-year-olds. But I would bet that children aged 8 to 17 get seen all the time in just about every practice. After all, optometry touts itself as the provider of primary eye care, and almost all would consider themselves a “family practice.”
However, there is still a significant portion of optometrists who are less comfortable or straight-up uncomfortable evaluating children. They may instruct their staff to say on the phone or state on their website: no children under age 8. At worst, they may even draw the line at age 10 or 12. We can all think of 13-year-olds who were more challenging than 7-year-olds and vice versa. Age is just a number.
In the sphere of optometric education, the pediatric optometry curriculum has become even more robust, the pediatric clinic for third- and fourth-year interns is more fully booked, and the number of pediatric residencies has grown to 36.1 Optometry has a marketing problem — we need to step up to show the public the value of pediatric eye care and place it on the same footing as pediatrician wellness visits and pediatric dentistry.
Fertility rates in 2023 dipped to a record low of about 55 births for every 1,000 females aged 44 and younger. But if we consider the children who are aged 8 to 12 years old today, let’s look at the data from their birth years of 2012 to 2016. What’s actually more relevant is the number of births per woman, which was 1.8 to 1.9 during these years.2 In other words, there are many children in this age range who need comprehensive eye exams and vision care. Unfortunately, we know a lot of these kids fall through the cracks.3
Who is Responsible for Scheduling the Children of Adult Patients?
This is, for sure, a team effort. The staff member picking up the phone and pulling insurance authorizations will often see the primary member’s dependents. Or they may be instructed to ask every patient, “Is there anyone else in the family who needs an eye exam?” However, the public perception is that eye exams in children are perhaps unnecessary if there are no symptoms. And yet, countless “silent” or asymptomatic diseases can be rather devastating. Most optometrists catch up with their patients in the exam room about life, vacations, sports, and family. Summer lends itself to talks of camps their children are in. Then, fall turns to talk about starting their new grade and activities. The opticians and checkout staff can close the loop to schedule those children (or grandchildren) of adult patients prior to the adult leaving for the day. And let’s face it, parents are busy.
So, for those seemingly stuck at three “kids” per week and only one has myopia, let’s flip the script. The 10 adults you see tomorrow could mean 18 children or grandchildren on your books for the next two weeks. Then, the following day, you see 10 adults, etc. Educating all patients on myopia advancements helps inform a much broader circle of family, friends, and coworkers.
At the same time, don’t forget about the tweens who are currently wearing single-vision glasses or contact lenses, which are still getting worse.4 And every encounter is an opportunity to ask about the younger siblings — they often come along in tow. Scheduling family members of your established patients only strengthens the relationships you have and adds value to what eye care and myopia management can bring to children as they grow. Remember, the younger the child, the faster their myopia gets worse. We have the chance to rewrite their future by introducing myopia control early in their life. What more can we do? Change the outcome each and every day.
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Dr. Trinae Rosato was born and raised in Holland Township. She attended the University of Delaware and then the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Dr. Rosato did an internship in pediatrics at the Eye Institute in Philadelphia. She also interned with a world-renowned retinal specialist in Philadelphia. As a member of the American Optometric Association, Dr. Rosato served as the President of the New Jersey State Optometric Society in 2021 and now represents New Jersey as a Change Agent of The Myopia Collective. She enjoys volunteering at the New Jersey Special Olympics by doing eye exams on athletes. When Dr. Rosato is not at the office, you can find her with her family. She has two children she enjoys playing with, reading, and going on adventures. She also takes time out for yoga. |
References
1 https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/20/health/us-birth-rate-fertility-final-data-2023
2 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=US
3 Kwan J et al. Current Trends in Pediatric Eye Examinations and Contact Lens Prescribing in the U.S. Poster presentation at the Global Specialty Lens Symposium, January 2024.
4 Moore M, Lingham G, Flitcroft DI, Loughman J. Myopia progression patterns among paediatric patients in a clinical setting. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2024 Mar;44(2):258-269.
