The Eyes Have it!
Ian Birchenough- Educationalist, Chair of Governors, and retired teacher
Only a third of Local Authorities now carry out eye tests in Primary Schools and the tests that they undertake( usually by a school nurse) are only designed to detect the more obvious eye problems that children have such as looking for turns in the eye( strabismus), lazy eyes( amblyopia) and high levels of long and short sight( hypermetropia and myopia) only. Indeed, up to a million Primary aged school children are estimated to have undetected vision problems.
The inability to see properly is, as you might expect, closely related to a childs ability to learn. It is always going to be difficult to read if your eyes dont work as a pair( Convergence Insufficiency) or maintain focus on a word( Accommodation) or are incorrectly alligned for distance and near vision( Ocular Muscle Balance), Eye tracking or pattern glare issues, yet these problems are not normally tested for in school eye exams.
In a survey of 100 patients aged from 6-17 years, 24 % were found to have CI( convergence Insufficiency) to a greater or lesser extent, 15 % had defective Accommodation and 19 % had eye tracking problems.
The result of these vision problems is reflected in lower classroom attainment, frustration, headaches, poor concentration and minor behavioural issues.
Such is the importance of effective eye screening, Specsavers is rolling out free testing software to 27,000 UK Primary and Secondary schools, hovever, if you have any concerns that you child might have a problem, all children up to the age of 16 are eligible for a free eye test at your local opticians who will also be able to advise you about free NHS eye glasses for under 15s.
If you are wondering about getting your child’ s eyes tested, book an appointment as soon as possible. The longer there is a problem, the more their school work might be affected.
Recommended TED Talks...
Overlooking our vision | Cameron McCrodan | www. youtube. com / watch? v = L0pljgXZ _ GA
Curing learning-related vision problems | Dr. Vicky Vandervort | www. youtube. com / watch? v = 9pHvS7Mr _ l8
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