Vision is valuable, and Pr3vent's mission is to protect it - especially in newborns. Screening and early intervention are powerful tools, and hospitals working with Pr3vent make this available to parents. Even babies who appear healthy may suffer from conditions which carry the risk of serious and potentially permanent vision deficits. Most pathologies are associated with the back of the eye - the retina - and trained experts can identify them in images.

Vision screening is well tolerated and very effective. Pr3vent's screen relies on images covering the entire back of the eye (retina). The images are sent to Pr3vent so that professional graders at Stanford University identify the newborns who have referrable abnormality. The result is immediately delivered to the ordering physician who will determine further examination by a suitable ophthalmologist.

Retina imaging in newborns has been performed in more than 300,000 babies across the world without any adverse event; it is even used on premature babies. Pr3vent’s imaging is performed by specially trained nurses, is faster (5 minutes), and more comfortable for the baby than direct ophthalmoscopy performed by a doctor over the course of an hour.

The only formalized newborn eye screening is the Red Reflex Exam (RRE), recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This test should be performed at every well child exam until age 18. Even though the RRE detects media opacities such as corneal scars, cataracts, pupillary seclusion, vitreous hemorrhage and retinoblastoma, it misses retina pathologies and has very low sensitivity.

Screening occurs within 72 hours after birth of full term infants (at least 37 weeks in utero) and in the hospital where the baby is born.

Parents already benefit from a wide array of pre- and perinatal tests. A decade of research has shown that many babies need early interventions, and Pr3vent is the only company to add an effective screening for vision. The screen is highly effective and does not require the baby to "tell you" about vision problems. Once you know, treatments for almost all problems are readily available.

Inherited retina diseases are rare but often severe and are the most common cause of blindness in many countries. Because the genetics are complicated, parents may carry the disease gene and not know about this. Pr3vent can detect signs of inherited disease in the images and can help you understand what gene mutation is present in your baby. This allows parents to connect with new treatments - including gene therapy which holds the promise of completely restoring the healthy eye.

Your physician and healthcare provider should always be your first stop, but as part of our education program we provide information for you and your doctor that may help you identify the best next steps.