About 60 percent of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems

Mark Wechsler sat in the exam room, ready to undergo a familiar procedure. The 9-year-old Eltingville resident kept still as he was tested with all sorts of funny sounding instruments like occluder, autorefractor, phoropter and stereoscopic glasses. His eyes were then given a clean bill of health.

As parents finished crossing items off their back-to-school checklist in time for classes to start today, many may have skipped a comprehensive eye exam. This often-overlooked procedure is much needed, states the American Optometric Association (AOA), because about 80 percent of the learning a child does occurs through the eyes.

“Vision is the primary sense in learning and parents take it for granted,” said Dr. Andrea Thau, spokeswoman for the AOA, estimating that one in four children has a vision problem.

Around 60 percent of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems, the AOA states. Some common problems in children include nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and imperfection of the eye’s curvature (astigmatism).

Children with vision trouble may rub their eyes, tilt their head to one side, bump into objects, avoid close work, hold reading material close to their face, get frequent headaches and constantly perform below their potential. They may also display behavioral problems, such as short attention span, and in some cases, be diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Comprehensive exams are usually done by an optometrist or ophthalmologist and include tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, eye coordination and eye muscle function, eye focusing abilities and overall health of the eye, which can involve dilation, according to the AOA.

They also check for problems that can cause lazy eye (amblyopia), which can lead to vision loss or require surgery if not treated early enough.

“It’s not unusual to see tremendous progress once the child gets what they need,” said Dr. Thau, who has a private optometry practice in Manhattan. “After getting glasses and vision therapy, they read at a much higher level.”

She recommends that a child’s first eye exam take place between six to 12 months of age. The next exam should come at age 3, and follow up every two years, unless there is a problem. The visual system develops over time, so early exams may not reveal problems.

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

In New York City public schools, about 300,000 vision screenings, which differ from exams, are done each year. Dr. Roger Platt, director of school health for the Departments of Education and Health and Mental Hygiene, explained that screenings are required in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, third and fifth grades. The state also requires that all new entrants be screened no matter their grade level.

The screenings differ as a child gets older. In pre-k, students are tested for visual acuity in each eye for distance vision. In kindergarten and first grade, testing is done for color vision and distance, as well as for near vision. In third and fifth grades, testing is done again for distance vision.

Source: Staten Island Advance - SILive.com, NY
http://www.silive.com/healthfit/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/122035052698120.xml&coll=1