![]() ![]() Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that half of the newborns who fail a routine hearing screening do not get further diagnostic testing to determine whether their hearing is impaired or normal. Research shows that identifying and treating hearing impairments early – before 6 months of age – can help prevent these outcomes.Īlthough over 95 percent of all newborns receive a hospital-based hearing screening shortly after birth through state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs, many children with impaired hearing are not receiving early diagnosis and treatment for hearing conditions. These problems can have a negative impact on language and speech development, academic performance, and overall well-being. Many more children develop hearing problems after birth. Two to three out of every 1,000 children are born with hearing impairments, which can range from mild to profound. In fact, amblyopia is the most common cause of single eye vision loss among adults 20 to 70 years old. Left untreated, these eye conditions can create far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. Common childhood eye conditions include nearsightedness, lazy eye (amblyopia), and misalignment of the eyes (strabismus). Too few children receive the vision screening services that they need, which means that they go through childhood with untreated visual impairment. Why are Vision and Hearing Screenings and Services so Important?Ībout a quarter of all school-aged children have a significant vision problem. States should review their Medicaid benefits for children and adolescents to make sure that vision and hearing screening schedules and content are up-to-date, methods for informing enrollees about benefits are effective, and procedures are in place to ensure referral to and tracking of vision and hearing services. State Medicaid agencies can take simple, concrete steps to ensure that enrolled children and adolescents receive these vision and hearing services. Medicaid coverage for children and adolescents provides low-income children and adolescents many services that can detect and address vision and hearing problems. If a primary care provider suspects that a child has a vision or hearing problem, the child should receive further evaluation and necessary treatment.
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