Hearing and Vision Screenings are Completed for this School Year Students are sent a referral letter for medical evaluation after failing the screen on 2 separate occasions. Dear Parents,

If your child failed the vision or hearing screen, you have been sent a referral letter. 1.Please have your child evaluated by your pediatrician or eye specialist. 2.Have your doctor complete the referral form and return this form to the school health clinic. 3.This information is sent to the state of Texas in the form of annual screening reports.

Texas Required Eye Screen The state of Texas requires children in K, 1 st,3 rd and 5 th grades to be screened for vision and hearing problems.

Determining Visual Problem Visual acuity is the most important measure used by eye care professionals to determine eye problems.

A Doctor Exam Is Needed... A child needs an eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist if: Acuity is 20/40 or greater in either eye Signs or complaints of visual problems If there is a 2 line difference on eye chart between the 2 eyes during screening An eye turns in or out

Do You See Well? How sharply we see is called Visual Acuity. Distance Acuity is measured 20 feet from eye chart. A measurement of 20/20 means a person can see details on a chart that a person with average vision can see at 20 feet. 20/30 is still passing 20/40 means a doctor visit!

Doctor Recommendations The American Academy of Pediatricians recommend a vision check for all children by age 3 and at regular intervals afterward. The American optometric Association recommend a comprehensive vision exam starting at age 6 months.

Eye Health Professionals Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specializing in eye care and surgery. Optometrist is a doctor who examines, diagnoses, treats and manages disorders of the eye. Optician is a technician who makes and adjusts eye glasses and contact lenses according to the eye doctor’s prescription.

Checking For Healthy Eyes and Ears Seeing well and hearing well are important to learning.

Why Test Eyes at School? Difficulty seeing well is common in school children. 53 million children, 6-11 years old, (21.5%) have a vision problem. As children get older, even more come to need glasses!

Common Vision Problems Farsightedness- the eyes does not focus well on nearby objects. Near objects are blurred. It is corrected by convex eyeglass lenses. Nearsightedness- the eye does not focus on distant objects. Distant objects are blurred. It is corrected by concave eyeglass lenses. Strabismus is a turning in or outward of the eyes. The eyes may be turned in or out constantly or only when tired. Amblyopia. One eye is able to see much better than the other because of muscle imbalance, astigmatism, or poor acuity. Astigmatism- the cornea or lens of the eye is uneven. Astigmatism is corrected special eyeglass lenses.

There Could be a Vision Problem If…. Avoiding close work Rubbing eyes or frequent styles Turning or tilting head to use one eye only Using finger to keep place Squinting Eyes turn inward or outward Red or watery eyes Headaches Blurred or Double vision Difficulty with schoolwork

Early Detection Matters Detecting some eye problems early with eye testing is important. If weak muscles that cause crossed eyes are detected before age 5, it may prevent a life long eye problem.

Poor Vision Poor vision affects how well you: Feel Do school work Play sports See to read Play games See TV

Eye Injuries Sports and toys are the leading cause of eye injuries in children according to hospital records. In 2000, almost 18,060 sports eye injuries (to children under age 14) were treated.

Sports Related Eye Injuries The 5 most common reported sports activities associated with eye injuries are: Baseball Basketball Swimming Bicycling Football Protect your eyes with sports safety equipment.

Toy Injuries In 2000, 9,000 eye injuries occurred to children from toys. The most common toys cited at treatment were: toy weaponsbicyclesballoons Follow rules and wear safety protection.

We See to Learn To learn about the world around us, We see, hear, feel, and experience. Almost 80% of learning comes from what we see!

Hearing Loss There are 3 types of hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss involves the outer and middle ear. Sound waves are unable to travel to the inner ear. Sensori-neural hearing loss involves the auditory nerve. Mixed hearing loss involves the outer, middle, and inner ear.

Reasons for Hearing Loss Genetic hearing loss Injury Frequent Infections A Medication side effect Noise Aging

There Could Be A Hearing Problem Need loud volume on TV and Radio Straining to hear conversation Lack of response to nearby sounds Discharge from the ears Pain in the ears Ringing or buzzing in the ears Inability to recognize speech Dizziness for no apparent reason Favoring one ear

Hearing Affects Speech If hearing impairment is not detected early, it can result in slow speech development or pronunciation difficulties.

Implications of Hearing Loss Mild hearing loss would leave speech muffled because of missed soft sounds Moderate hearing loss would mean normal conversation heard as a whisper Severe hearing loss would leave very muffled conversation Profound hearing loss would only let extremely loud sounds be heard.

Measuring Sound Hearing screens use pure sounds. Pure sounds are measured by frequency and intensity. Frequency is the number of vibrations in a second. A person recognizes frequency as “pitch” or how “high” or “low” the sound. Frequency is measured in units called Hertz or Hz. Intensity is loudness or softness of a tone. It is measured in decibels dB. Normal conversation is from 40 to 65 dB.

Human Hearing The human ear can hear sounds from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Normal Human Speech contains sounds ranging from 125Hz to 8,000Hz. Hearing screening can detect difficulty hearing the sounds of normal speech.

Hearing Screen A hearing check is done with an audiometer. The test is called a Sweep-Check Screen. At 25 dB a person listens for following frequencies 1000, 2000, and 4000.

A Doctor Visit is Needed... If a student fails to identify any of these frequencies in either ear.