The Purpose of Newborn Hearing and Vision Screenings

Newborn visits with the pediatrician are important to ensure your newborn is healthy and thriving. Vital parts of newborn care are hearing and vision screenings. Frank R. Baum, M.D., Inc. in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, offers comprehensive medical care for children, including newborn hearing and vision screenings.

How Hearing and Vision Screenings Can Help Your Newborn

Newborn hearing screenings are critical to ensuring your child can hear well. If your child’s hearing is impaired, your child will have difficulty communicating with you and others. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a hearing screening at regular intervals, beginning within 1 to 2 days of birth. A hearing screening can help identify hearing issues early. If hearing issues go undetected, your child may have:

• Problems understanding others
• Speech and language delays
• Difficulty learning in school
• Poor self-esteem and self-confidence

A vision screening is another vital part of the newborn exam. Vision screenings can help identify vision problems early when they can be easily treated. Your pediatrician will complete a physical examination of your child’s eyes, including the size and shape of the pupils and external parts of the eyes.

The pediatrician will use a handheld device called an ophthalmoscope during this physical examination. The device detects the amount of light reflected through the pupil from the back of the eye, a measurement known as the red reflex.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that vision screenings happen regularly, starting with newborns. Vision screening aims to check for congenital vision problems, infections, and other eye conditions.

Want To Know More About Hearing and Vision Screenings for Newborns?

To learn more about the purpose of hearing and vision screenings for newborns, call Frank R. Baum, M.D., Inc., serving the greater Maui, HI, area. The office can be reached by calling (808) 871-7116, so call today.