Children's Vision Screening is the use of a simple technique designed to separate those children who appear to need correction or treatment from those who do not. It is an effective method of rapidly screening the vision of a large number of children. However, screenings do not take the place of a thorough examination by an eye care professional.
1 out of 20 preschoolers and 1 out of 4 school aged children has an eye problem requiring treatment or correction. Since children do not know how well they should see, they will not complain about poor vision. Eye disorders, if they remain undiscovered, can harmfully affect a child's personality, his learning ability and his entire adjustment in school.
The primary target of the Children's Vision Screening Program is AMBLYOPIA or "lazy eye". If not detected and treated by the age of six, it can cause permanent loss of sight.
Volunteers from the community are trained and certified by Prevent Blindness Indiana to organize and conduct the screening. The training takes about 2 hours and is free. Check our Training Schedule for upcoming training dates.
Trained volunteers work in teams of three or four, using the Symbol chart, "E" game, and/or a stereopsis (depth perception) test. If a child fails the screening, the parents are urged to take the child for a professional eye examination. Families in financial need may be eligible for help through our Sight For Students or Gift of Vision programs.
Contact the Sight for Students coordinator at sight4students@pbeye.org. |
