CARTHAGE, N.Y. — Carthage Family Health Center now has a new vision spot screener for pediatric patients, which resulted from the holiday match program of Stewart’s Shops, a chain of convenience stores.
The Carthage Area Hospital Foundation matched a $3,500 donation from Stewart’s Holiday Match to purchase a Welch Allyn spot vision screener, per a news release.
“Our new screener will be used on approximately 100-115 patients/month. All positive findings would result in a referral to an ophthalmologist for appropriate treatment,” Taylour Scanlin, executive director of the Carthage Area Hospital Foundation, said.
The device cost about $6,700, Scanlin tells CNYBJ.
The health center will use the Welch Allyn spot vision screener on all children three years of age and up at every well-child visit. The test looks for amblyopia (lazy eye), a vision-development disorder in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity (impaired, dimmed visions, etc.). This is especially helpful for diagnosing young pediatric patients considering they may not be able to communicate signs or symptoms.