Community Fellow,

 Vision problems affect nearly 13.5 million children in the U.S.  Students, especially young ones, may not know that what they are experiencing is a vision problem  Leads to frustration and worsening academic performance

 Teachers are in a unique position to notice a child with a vision problem ◦ See children for many hours a day ◦ See children in an academic setting where visual acuity is required

 Discovering vision problems early on in a child’s life is an important part of helping him or her do well in school.  Avoid frustration  Make reading easier  Make learning more enjoyable  In the case of some vision conditions (covered later), early detection and treatment is the only way to prevent loss of sight in the afflicted eye

The following may be indicative of a child experiencing a vision problem: Eyes tiring while reading or doing other schoolwork Turning or tilting head to use one eye only Making frequent reversals while reading or writing Using finger to maintain place while reading Consistently performing below potential Eyes turning inward or outward Squinting Headaches Worsening academic performance Blurred or double vision Losing place while reading Avoiding close work Holding reading material closer than normal Rubbing eyes

 If you notice a child struggling with any of these symptoms, he or she may be experiencing a vision problem  The next step is to make sure that child has an eye exam by an eye doctor

Eye Exams  Performed by optometrists or ophthalmologists  Thorough  Can detect many vision problems and/or eye disorders and diagnose them Vision screenings (insignificant)  Performed by non- specialist health staff  Provide baseline VA  Do not test for eye disorders, cannot provide diagnostic information

 Test only distance visual acuity.  Fail to detect children who have reading problems, hyperopia, or astigmatism.  Vision screenings are subjective ◦ A research study found that two school nurses matched on their vision screening results for only 86.4% of the students. Ore, L., Tamir, A., Stein, N., and Cohen-Dar, M. “Reliability of Vision Screening Tests for School Children.” Journal of Nursing Scholarship (2009):

 A study in New York City schools found that 41% of children who passed a distance visual acuity test still needed to be examined by an eye doctor for other reasons.  Screening solely for reduced visual acuity may miss up to 40% with potential vision problems. Bodack, M., Chung, I., and Krumholtz, I. “An Analysis of Vision Screening Data from New York City Public Schools.” Journal of the American Optometric Association (2010);

 Do not assume that children with eyeglasses have recently had an eye exam.  A research study found that 49% of eyeglass- wearing children failed a visual assessment. 28% of non-eyeglass-wearing children failed the visual assessment. “Children Unable to Perform Screening Tests in Vision in Preschoolers Study: Proportion with Ocular Conditions and Impact on Measures of Test Accuracy.” Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 48 (2007):83-87.

 A research study was conducted in California high schools among students who were identified by their teachers as “poor readers”.  17% of the students had deficient visual acuity (20/40 or worse in one eye)  80% of the children were inadequate or weak in at least one of the following visual skills: binocular fusion ranges at near, accomodative facility, and convergence near point.  80% of the students passed the visual acuity testing, but only 20% had adequate visual skills. Grisham, D., Powers, M., and Riles, P. “Visual skills of poor readers in high school.” Journal of the American Optometric Association (2007);

 Children under the age of 18 are eligible for free eye exams

 Nearsightedness (myopia) ◦ Most common visual problem among students ◦ A type of refractive error ◦ Close objects are clear ◦ Far-away objects are blurry ◦ Students may squint to see blackboard or presentation materials ◦ Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses

 Farsightedness (hyperopia) ◦ Also a common visual problem among students ◦ A type of refractive error ◦ Close objects are blurry ◦ Far-away objects are clear ◦ Students may squint while reading or hold reading material farther away from face than normal ◦ Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses

 Astigmatism ◦ Often co-occurs with nearsightedness or farsightedness ◦ A type of refractive error caused by an abnormally shaped cornea ◦ Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses

 Strabismus ◦ Issue with eye muscles ◦ Student’s eyes appear to be focusing on two different points ◦ Often co-occurs with amblyopia ◦ Glasses or eye muscle exercises can treat strabismus. Sometimes surgery is needed.

 Lazy Eye (Amblyopia) ◦ One eye is stronger than the other ◦ Student may show signs of strabismus, but the two do not always co-occur ◦ Over time, the brain may begin to disregard signals from the weaker eye ◦ If it is not detected early, amblyopia can lead to a permanent loss of sight in the weaker eye ◦ This disorder is only detectable through an eye exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist

 Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) ◦ Common in schoolchildren ◦ The conjunctiva (lining on eyelid and part of eyeball) become infected and inflamed ◦ Highly contagious ◦ Prescription eye drops can treat bacterial forms ◦ Viral forms clear up on their own and cannot be treated, but sometimes eye drops are needed to relieve inflammation.

Contact Me: INSERT NAME INSERT