InfantSEE Marks 20th Anniversary with Update on Online Sensation Baby Piper
St. Louis, MO – December 12, 2025 – InfantSEE®, a program that provides no-cost, comprehensive eye and vision health assessments for infants, concludes the year with 174,000 assessments since the initiative’s inception in 2005. Celebrating the program’s 20th anniversary, The American Optometric Association (AOA) Foundation reconnected with online sensation “Baby Piper,” underscoring InfantSEE’s indispensable role in protecting children’s vision and shaping a lifetime of healthy sight.
Managed by The AOA Foundation and backed from the beginning, by AOA visionary supporter Johnson & Johnson, InfantSEE is a public health program designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child’s quality of life. Currently, there are more than 4,000 InfantSEE providers, with over 10 percent being recent graduates.
2025 Year in Review
The AOA and the AOA Foundation share a commitment to closing the gap in children’s eye health and vision care and InfantSEE assessments have helped prevent conditions that could impact children’s quality of life for years to come. Ranging from amblyopia and strabismus to sight-threatening retinoblastomas, InfantSEE has helped over 15,000 children start their journey to improved quality of life after receiving a diagnosis from a participating InfantSEE optometrist.
With Johnson & Johnson’s support, InfantSEE student education workshops deliver hands-on experience with seasoned doctors of optometry and infants throughout the year.
“InfantSEE workshops give students a powerful opportunity to turn their knowledge into meaningful patient care. Working with infants helps them understand the impact early eye exams can have on a child’s development and on a family’s peace of mind,” said Ida Chung, O.D., Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Western University and InfantSEE & Children's Vision Committee Member. “As InfantSEE marks its 20th anniversary, it’s inspiring to see how this program has shaped generations of future optometrists who are committed to expanding access to children’s vision care.”
In-person options at Optometry’s Meeting, Western Regional Conference at UC Berkeley, and Midwestern Regional Conference at Indiana University deliver real-world experience, while virtual workshops through EyeLearn provide access to students across the country. In 2025, over 450 students attended an InfantSEE Workshop.
"InfantSEE has taught me that optometrists are not just eye doctors- they are frontline public health providers. This program has demonstrated the importance of early, comprehensive visual assessments. Millions of infants have been served, and various conditions have been detected early. By participating in this workshop, I have strengthened my confidence and clinical skills. I'm very excited to continue advocating for this program and ensuring every child has access to quality eye care." – Veronica Tkaczyk, Indiana University American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Trustee
"Learning to perform infant eye exams through InfantSEE® has strengthened the clinical skills of myself and my classmates. These workshops remind me that optometry isn’t just about vision—it’s about giving every child the best start possible." – Ashley Robinson, University of California Berkeley AOSA Trustee
Participation and Support
Participating InfantSEE optometrists provide no-cost eye and vision assessments regardless of income or insurance coverage. The AOA Foundation thanks all participating doctors for their dedication to the program and the life-changing care they provide every day.
To learn more about becoming an InfantSEE provider, click here.
The AOA Foundation is committed to raising awareness about the importance of eye health, increasing access to vision care, and providing support to doctors of optometry and students in need. To support InfantSEE and other initiatives, consider making an end-of-year tax-deductible donation.
Online Sensation “Baby Piper” and the Importance of InfantSEE
In 2015, “Baby Piper” became an adorable internet sensation when a video of her using glasses for the first time went viral. Over the next decade, that family video would generate millions of views worldwide.
The video also brought national attention to the importance of comprehensive eye care for children—and the AOA’s long-standing campaign to raise awareness of its role in child development. The message was clear: the earlier a condition is diagnosed, the sooner it can be treated, improving a child’s chances for a positive outcome. Piper’s story is proof of that.
“I’m about to be 11 and I’m in fourth grade,” Piper says. “I’m in cheer and Girl Scouts and I’m about to do volleyball. I like to draw and do crafts and make books. I like doing gymnastics, too. And if I couldn’t see, I wouldn’t be able to do this stuff as easily.”
In 2015, when Piper was 10 months old, her parents took her to the pediatrician, concerned she wasn’t meeting certain developmental milestones.
“She wasn’t walking. She wasn’t crawling,” says Andrew Verdusco, Piper’s father. “She couldn’t grab things off the floor. We noticed something was going on, and we decided to get her checked.”
The pediatrician wisely recommended the family consult an optometrist, and that’s how they met Josiah Young, O.D., of Opticare Vision in Newport, Kentucky. Due to her age, Piper qualified for a no-cost assessment under The AOA Foundation’s InfantSEE® program.
“Dr. Young was amazing,” says Piper’s mother, Jessica Sinclair. “Finding him and being able to get an appointment with him changed everything.”
Dr. Young diagnosed Piper with hyperopia (farsightedness), and everything made sense. After all, it’s estimated that 80% of children’s learning is done through the eyes. For instance, curiosity usually motivates infants to crawl and walk toward things or people that intrigue them. Dr. Young examined Piper’s eyes and prescribed glasses.
“If you intervene early, you can prevent lots of issues for these kids in their school-age years,” Dr. Young says. “They can be put at a disadvantage compared to their peers.”
Heartwarming videos of infants reacting to their first pair of glasses are commonplace now, but Piper’s video was among one of the first to go viral online. Her parents had no idea that the video views would take off the way they did. After being posted on Facebook, it was shown on CNN, YouTube and other media.
“I can’t take it,” Savannah Guthrie said when the video appeared on the “Today” show.
In the video, 10½-month-old Piper is sitting at a table when a pair of pink glasses is placed over her head and onto her face. Her lips curl into a sweet smile and her bright eyes grow wider and wider, as if to say, “Hey, I can see!” Her head swivels back and forth.
“I wanted to cry, honestly,” Sinclair says, adding, “to see that she could actually see ... I was just so happy.”
Adds Verdusco, “It’s definitely a great feeling. We look back on it now and our reaction is pretty much the same every time.”
The reaction: joy.
The video has had a lasting impact, and not only on Piper and her family. Dr. Young’s professional reputation was bolstered. The video raised—and continues to raise—awareness about children’s eye care.
“Since then, we’ve seen oodles of infants for glasses,” Dr. Young says, noting how publicity from the video had resulted in numerous referrals from other clinicians, including from a nearby children’s hospital.
“It has had a pleasant effect,” he adds. “It has raised awareness nationwide about getting kids’ eyes checked.
Ten years later, it’s become more normal. I had to update my frame selection because we were getting so many little ones with glasses.”
As for Piper, she doesn’t remember the hubbub the video created, but she has been told about it.
“She’s looking at the magazine right now,” her mother says, referring to the September 2015 issue of AOA Focus that featured her family.
Says Piper of her reaction in the video: “I was in shock. Maybe I was thinking, ‘I see my parents now.’ I think I was happy about it.”
Adds Sinclair to Piper, “You could see our faces for the first time.”
Today, Piper is thriving as a preteen. She has varied interests, including sports and making videos of her own with her friends. Her favorite subjects are science and social studies. Almost always, her glasses are perched on her nose. Without them, Piper says, she feels tired or gets a headache.
The family continues to encourage other parents to make an appointment with their doctor of optometry if they notice their children are falling short of expected developmental milestones.
Piper echoes that sentiment. Her message to parents: “Get your kids’ eyes checked!”
###
About The AOA Foundation
The AOA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization working to empower the optometric profession in providing awareness and access to health and vision care for the public. To learn more, please visit aoafoundation.org.
About the American Optometric Association (AOA)
The American Optometric Association (AOA) represents more than 50,000 doctors of optometry, students and professionals who provide the majority of eye health and vision care in over 10,000 U.S. communities. As the leading voice for quality eye care, the AOA advances the profession through cutting-edge education, practice-changing resources, singular advocacy, and public education about the profession, ensuring patients nationwide have trusted access to essential, in-person eye health and vision care with member doctors of optometry.