August 7, 1998
A local non-profit organization will hold free comprehensive vision screenings for all K through 12 students around the county in August.
The screenings are much more than traditional 20/20 eye chart tests. They test all facets of a child's ability to see, including eye control, focusing near to far, and how a child's eyes work together. Also, they screen depth perception, hand-to-eye coordination, and how well a child remembers what he saw.
"We're holding these screenings because one in four school kids has undetected vision problems that hurt their ability to learn," says Marjie Thompson, Founder and President of Parents Active for Vision Education (P.A.V.E.). "Many parents and teachers even some doctors don't understand the crucial link between vision and achievement in school. Efficient vision and learning go hand in hand."
P.A.V.E. was started by parents whose children were diagnosed with vision-related learning problems. "Parents who think that passing the 20/20 eye chart test means everything's ok, are sadly mistaken," says Thompson. "We found out the hard way. My child went for years without help because no one knew how to test him or even that he needed testing. The reason for our group is to keep other parents from going through the same agony."
Thompson says vision is a learned skill, just like learning to walk. Buy play habits that used to help sharpen that skill have been replaced with passive activities like watching TV and computer screens. Now, more and more kids have visual problems which not only affect how well they learn, but also their self-esteem. President Clinton has declared August as "Chil-dren's Vision and Learning Month."
An appointment is required for a free vision screening. Please call (619) 484-5687 or (619) 418-4310.
August 8, 1998, Rancho Penasquitos Branch, 13330 Salmon River Rd.
August 10, 1998, University Community Branch, 4155 Governor Drive.
August 15, 1998, Chula Vista Library, 365 F Street.
August 22, 1998, Mira Mesa Branch, 8405 New Salem Street
P.A.V.E. will also host a P.A.V.E. Vision Symposium for parents, educators and other professional Saturday, September 19th at San Diego State University.
For further information on the free vision screenings or the P.A.V.E. Vision Symposium, call P.A.V.E. at (619) 467-9620.
Determining Vision Problems
To find out if there is a possibility that any of your students have vision problems, have the students in question answer the following nine questions:
Has the student:
ever been told he or she has a learning disability?
Does the student:
avoid tasks that involve reading?
experience eyestrain, headaches or fatigue with extended reading or computer activities?
have poor handwriting?
have organizational problems both cognitively and physical, e.g., poor planning messy desk, messy room, etc.?
understand individual thoughts, but has trouble understanding the whole concept or message?
display awkwardness and/or clumsiness?
understand individual directions, but has trouble putting them together so he or she can initiate action based on those directions?
grasp the general concept, but have difficulty identifying the individual details??
experience problems with orientation, e.g., have a poor sense of direction when driving or walking?
If the student answered "yes" to one of more of the above questions, there is a very good chance that he or she has a vision problem, and should therefore be referred for a behavioral vision evaluation.
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