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Iowa infants get free eye exams this week

March 23, 2009 By

Have you ever seen an infant wearing glasses? Probably not, but parents of infants are encouraged to have their child’s eyesight checked, even before they reach their first birthday. Urbandale optometrist Dr. Melissa Billings says a program called "Infant See" this week is offering free professional eye care for infants.

"Between the ages of six and 12 months, the growth and development of the eye is changing very rapidly and if there’s anything that is impeding that, that can cause a permanent problem," Dr. Billings says. "If we can catch it at an early age, we can do some things to correct that and that way that eye can see 20-20 the rest of their life."

Since a child of that age can’t talk, let alone read off letters from a traditional eye chart, she says they use objective measurements where the optometrist watches the child’s eyes as he or she follows a lighted toy. "We are using instrumentation where I can look at their prescription without them saying even a word," Billings says. "We dialate the pupil to be able to get a better view inside the eye to make sure there aren’t diseases such as retinoblastoma, which is a cancer, to make sure there’s not any congenital cataracts that could be blocking light coming into the eye."

Parents can help their babies with proper visual development, by using a night light or dim lamp in the baby’s room, changing the positioning of the crib, keeping objects within the baby’s focus — about eight-to-12 inches — and talking to the baby as you walk through the room allowing the baby to follow you with his or her eyes.

Billings, a 1996 University of Northern Iowa graduate, says for the typical infant exam, she’ll seat the baby on the parent’s lap to evaluate how the child’s eyes are working together. "All the little toys that they look at are similar to toys they might have in their own house," Billings says. Parents may be asked to bring in some of the child’s favorite toys to be incorporated into the exam. It’s not painful at all for the baby, she says, "It’s almost like playing games — they’re smiling most of the time."

Billings says her office already offers free eye exams to infants between six and 12 months, as do many offices statewide. For more information, visit the Infant See website ( www.infantsee.org ) and click on the doctor finder link.

 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Iowa City man eludes law enforcement for six hours

March 23, 2009 By

Authorities spent six hours searching for a man in eastern Iowa early Sunday. It happened after a state trooper stopped a vehicle for speeding on Interstate 80 near Tipton at 1:30 a.m.

A report says the driver, 43-year-old James Dampier of Iowa City, gave the trooper a false name. The trooper checked on his identity and learned Dampier was barred from driving and was banned under court order to have contact with a woman who was riding in his vehicle. Dampier ran from the trooper as he attempted to place him in handcuffs. Dampier eluded troopers and deputies with the Johnson County Sheriff’s office until 7:30 a.m., when he was captured about three miles west of West Branch.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Culver, fellow Democrats don’t agree on "I-JOBS"

March 23, 2009 By

Behind-the-scenes negotiations will continue at the statehouse this week as Governor Culver tried to get his giant, $750 million "economic stimulus package" approved. Culver and his fellow Democrats who control the legislature’s debate agenda don’t agree on which types of projects should be included — and how much the state should borrow to implement Culver’s plan.

Culver chided statehouse reporters late last week for focusing on the points of disagreement. "What I’d like the press to focus on is the common ground here," Culver said during a news conference in his statehouse office. "We’re very, very close to getting a really important public policy initiative passed. We’re not far apart at all."

But Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs stresses that Democrats in the legislature haven’t made up their minds yet on the scope and size of the package. "We are working with the governor. Our key people on that are meeting with the governor (and) the governor’s shop," Gronstal says. "That’s ongoing and we are very confident we will reach an agreement."

Culver wants $750 million to be spent over three years; Democrats seem to back borrowing $700-million that’d be spent on infrastructure projects around the state. Again, the governor seems to downplay the differences. "I think their number is $700 million. I’ve talked about $750 (million), so I think the story should be how cooperatively we’re working together," Culver told statehouse reporters. "and how close we are to doing a huge jobs initiative."

Top Democrats, like the speaker of the House, have raised concerns about a key component of Culver’s "I-Jobs" proposal. Borrowing money for road and bridge work around the state would set the state up for a "boom and bust" road construction cycle.

Gronstal says the details of a deal, at this point, just haven’t been hammered down. "I think the attitude amongst all of the players is that we’re going to find a resolution to this and work through it," Gronstal says.

Both the governor and lieutenant governor have been traveling the state, trying to drum up support for Culver’s "I-Jobs" plan. Culver plans stops in Davenport, Clinton and Maquoketa on Tuesday where he’ll visit "shovel ready" sites where he argues money from his $750 million plan could be spent.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , ,

White House health care forum in Des Moines today

March 23, 2009 By

At 10 o’clock this morning, the third in a series of national forums about health care reform will get underway in Des Moines. Iowa is one of five states tapped by the White House to host the events. "We need to find some solutions to decreasing these huge rate increases that Iowans simply are finding a burden," says Iowa Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss, "especially in our current economic situation."

About 11 percent of Iowans are uninsured. Most states have far greater percentages of their population living without insurance, but Iowa Department of Public Health director Tom Newton says Iowa’s "uniquely positioned" to host today’s discussion because Iowa is a rural state. 

"We have some health care challenges that some of the other states that are hosting this forum probably aren’t going to experience," Newton says. "It isn’t the access to care issue through lack of insurance, it’s access to are through lack of providers and we really have some holes in our state through lack of providers that are out there."

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease plans to stage a rally at nine o’clock this morning, an hour before the forum starts, to highlight their agenda when it comes to health care reform. Jim Swanstrom is co-chair of the Iowa Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. "As we approach health care reform, I think we all understand and realize that it’s going to be a daunting task," Swanstrom says.

Swanstrom cited statistics which indicate three out of every four dollars spent in the U.S. health care system are spent on "chronic diseases" like diabetes and cancer which might have been avoided if the patient, earlier in life, had eaten a healthier diet and exercised daily.

The governors of Iowa and South Dakota will moderate today’s forum. The event will open with a video message from President Obama. Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office on Health Reform, is scheduled to be Obama’s "in person" representative at the forum.

Filed Under: Business, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,
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