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Vision Screening Success Story |
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Hamza, 8 years old, is from Somalia, and now lives in Sandy, Utah
"Hamza has several visual disorders (as do his dad and little sister). He has been pulled out for reading intervention since he arrived at the school. The school nurse performed a vision screening on Hamza in September 2024. He did so poorly on the wall chart that she switched to the SPOT camera thinking it could be a language issue. He was unable to pass. She reached out to the mobile vision clinic provider at Hamza’s school, got his prescription, and helped to secure eyeglasses. Hamza put on the eyeglasses and was amazed at how much more clearly he could see.
"I was so happy to see Hamza being able to see better. Both of his teachers have commented that he is slowly getting caught up now that he can see better. His math has greatly improved, and his reading interventionist said she can really tell the difference in his reading since he got his glasses."
Carolee Boam, BSN, RN
School Nurse for Alta View, Altara, and Park Lane Elementary Schools, Sandy, Utah
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The groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow yet again, so bundle up for 6 more weeks of winter! As we move further into the new year, we want to continue ensuring that children have all the best resources for their eye health, so they can explore, succeed in school, and play outside in the snow. February is Low Vision Awareness Month, and Prevent Blindness is featuring resources to help you assist children and families in accessing vision screening and follow-up eye care.
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Children's Vision Screening Training Course | |
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Nurse Carolee Boam, who sent in the success story shared above, received her vision screening certification through the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness. She is now skilled in performing evidence-based vision screening and following up to ensure students receive needed eye care.
The Prevent Blindness Children’s Vision Screening Certification Course is available for individual online purchase and large group enrollment with discounts for groups of 10 or more learners. Learners completing the course earn a 3-year nationally recognized certificate and 5 contact hours for professional development. A recertification course is also available.
The preschool course has 8 self-paced modules, and the combined preschool and school-age course has 9 self-paced modules. The course includes a virtual skills assessment and mentoring session that runs an average of 30 minutes.
For answers to questions about the online course or information on group discounts, contact P. Kay Nottingham Chaplin, EdD, at nottingham@preventblindness.org.
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Questions to Ask the Eye Doctor | |
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After a referral from a vision screening, you can help families find an eye doctor and help them prepare for the eye examination.
Check out these resources for finding an eye doctor:
Help Families Schedule and Prepare for an Eye Examination:
When making an eye exam appointment, there are a few items that families should have prepared before and while they schedule. Share these tips with families:
- Call or check the portal of your insurance provider to see if the insurance plan covers the eye exam and the eye doctor. There may be some rules about specific days and times for an eye exam, and routine eye exams and glasses are often covered by vision insurance. Health insurance often covers medical concerns about children’s eyes.
- Know your family’s health and vision history to better inform the eye doctor.
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If the child has a disability, ensure that the eye doctor has experience working with children with disabilities, and prepare papers about the child’s disability to bring to the eye exam. If the eye doctor does not have experience, ask for recommendations from the office on another eye doctor that can be called.
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Plan for time in the waiting room with a storybook or coloring books and a quick snack.
- Write questions to ask the eye doctor so all of your concerns are addressed.
Find more tips on scheduling and preparing for a child’s eye exam.
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Do You Know Families Experiencing
Barriers to Accessing Eye Care?
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If you know families who are experiencing barriers to accessing eye care after receiving a referral from vision screening, watch our webinar from November 2024: Closing the Gap: Helping Families Remove Barriers to Eye Care. The PowerPoint slides can be found here.
The webinar introduced the NCCVEH’s new “Small Steps to Eye Care Action Plan: A Conversation Guide” to help determine and address individualized family barriers to eye care after receiving a referral from vision screening.
If you want to be considered as a pilot site for the Small Steps to Eye Care Action Plan: A Conversation Guide, complete this short form.
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February is Age-Related Eye Disease (AMD)
and Low Vision Awareness Month
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Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that impairs central vision and may appear in two forms, wet AMD and dry AMD. A recent study, “The Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States In 2019” using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS), estimated that 19.83 million Americans were living with some form of AMD. AMD can cause low vision.
Low Vision is defined as vision loss that cannot be corrected by medical or surgical treatments or conventional eyeglasses, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Low vision disorders are often accompanied by other health concerns such as increased risk of falling, chronic disease, anxiety, and social isolation.
Children with low vision often need resources for learning. The IDEA law ensures that all children from birth to age 21 years who qualify will receive special education and related services such as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), an Orientation and Mobility teacher (O&M), and equipment.
Many states have “Child Find” programs which is a component of the IDEA that requires Public Education Agencies (PEA) to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth through 21 years who need early intervention or special education services. Preschool, Head Start programs, or school district Special Education departments can help families find resources.
Another great resource for family support is each state’s Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI). These centers work with families of children with disabilities and help them participate effectively in their child’s education and development.
Additional resources and organizations:
National Federation of the Blind: Parents of Blind Children
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
American Printing House: Kids Vision Loss
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The Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program is an advocacy and storytelling skills-building program that brings together low vision and blind individuals (due to a variety of eye conditions) with allies such as doctors, medical students, researchers, mental health providers, Orientation & Mobility Specialists, Occupational therapists, parents, and more. | |
Public Policy and Vision Health | |
Medicaid Supports Student Health | |
According to our friends at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, almost half of all children in the United States have their health coverage provided by Medicaid, providing a strong start to their developmental journey. Medicaid provides a pediatric benefit package with various early screening initiatives to catch undiagnosed health issues, including vision screening, dentist visits, and learning disorder assessments. Schools also receive funding from Medicaid for school-based health care, including nursing and mental health services, among many others. Learn More. | |
Find out more about advocacy at Prevent Blindness | |
Join us for the 2025 Focus on Eye Health Summit, a groundbreaking gathering of leaders in public health, eye care, and government sectors. This year’s theme, Perspectives in Vision, emphasizes the need for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to addressing eye health challenges in an evolving world. | |
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Do you perform hearing screening in addition to vision screening?
Join the webinar, “Introduction to Evidence-based Hearing Screening Practices for Children Ages 0-5” on February 26, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm EST sponsored by the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management.
Webinar Description: Each day, children with hearing loss attend early childhood programs. It's important for staff to learn how to identify these children so they can receive the supports and services they need. Join the webinar to improve the quality of hearing screening and evaluation practices for children ages birth to 5 years. Learn about useful facts and access practical tools to support the development and sustainability of high-quality hearing screening and follow-up methods in Head Start, Early Head Start, and other early care and education program settings.
Learn more about topics covered and target audiences and register
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