Make sure this happens at every well checkup: (Standard of Care)
  • Use of the ophthalmoscope at every exam (well checkup)
  • Ensure the room is dark during the exam (lights out)
  • Take time to look (~20 seconds)
The ophthalmoscope needs to be used in a darkened room at every exam. It is the "stethoscope" for the eyes. Every time a stethoscope is used to listen to your child's heart, an ophthalmoscope should be used to look in your child's eyes. The doctor shines the light into the eyes for a red reflex of the retina. If they do not get a strong red reflex, this could indicate a problem and the child should be referred to an eye doctor immediately for further evaluation. If the lights are not turned out, you will not get a true red reflex, and the chances of seeing an eye disease are diminished greatly!
NOTE: This is how we all get to the eye doctor in time to save our vision. The ophthalmoscope needs to be used at all exams whether we are one day old or one hundred years old. At anytime in our lives we can start to develop a problem on the back of our eye; this is how we detect it in time to hopefully save our vision.
All health care professionals have ophthalmoscopes and they need to be used at every exam in a dark room for detection and referral. Joey's pediatrician never used an ophthalmoscope. If he would have taken a moment and looked at his 15 or 18 month well baby exam, Joey would have his eye, his vision, and his life! I did not know to ask… make sure this is happening for your children. Sadly, we still have health care professionals not using their ophthalmoscopes; and many who remember to get them out do not turn out the lights… they are not using them correctly.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INFANTS!!

An infant's pupil is too small in diameter for the ophthalmoscope to detect. Therefore, we need to do a simple, yet vital, eye dilation exam. This is recommended at birth, at the six to eight week well-baby exam, and one more at the six to eight month well-baby exam. These three eye dilation exams in the first year of life will help to ensure healthy vision for our newborns and infants.
The nurse drops the eye dilation drop in the infants' eyes after the baby is weighed. At the end of the well-baby exam when the eyes are dilated, the doctor turns out the lights and does the required exam. Therefore, it is no extra time for the pediatrician. It only takes ten seconds of time and costs pennies.
Note: The ophthalmoscope should be used at every infant exam, even with infant's small pupils there's a 30% chance of early detection.

The Ophthalmoscope Rap
(For Joey)


Doctor, Doctor don’t be a dope,
Please use your ophthalmoscope.

Make the room DARK, then shine that light
Straight to my eyes - you might save my sight!

An infant’s pupil is very small,
Have to use the eye drops….that’s all!

Early detection is the key,
And eye enucleations will be HISTORY!

Saving sight and saving lives,
Your ophthalmoscope really jives!

Ophthalmoscope, ophthalmoscope-
GOTTA USE IT!!!!

WRITTEN BY PAM BERGSMA FOR HER GRANDSON JOEY!

67b8adc5e2160_ophthalmoscope_enhanced

THE OPHTHALMOSCOPE RAP MADE ITS DEBUT AT THE KICKOFF EVENT FOR “JOEY BERGSMA RETINOBLASTOMA AWARENESS MONTH AT THE PALM BEACH ZOO”, JUNE 30, 2002. EDDIE TIMANUS RECEIVED "THE JOEY BERGSMA RETINOBLASTOMA AWARENESS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE”…DR. TIMOTHY MURRAY SPOKE AT THE EVENT…DOCTORS FROM COLUMBIA HOSPITAL HAD THEIR OPHTHALMOSCOPES OUT AND DID FREE RED REFLEX EXAMS. THESE FREE EXAMS CONTINUED ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS THROUGH OUT THE MONTH OF JULY…TWO YEAR OLDS WERE SAYING OPHTHALMOSCOPE!!! IT WAS A WONDERFUL 5TH BIRTHDAY MONTH FOR JOEY!!

Note: New version debuted in Kansas City Kansas during the 2006 Phi Theta Kappa State Convention which I attended as a Keynote Speaker.