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What is the Year of Children's Vision?
School Health is collaborating with the National Head Start Association, The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness America, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Good-Lite Company, and the American Academy of Optometry’s Section on Binocular Vision, Perception and Pediatric Optometry to launch a unique national initiative called the Year of Children's Vision (YOCV). The goal of YOCV is to provide national guidance to staff of Head Start Centers and other early childhood educators to standardize approaches to vision screening, improve follow-up for eye care for children who fail the vision screening, provide family friendly educational information and consult with some of the nation's leading pediatric eye care providers to ensure best practices.
Goals of the Year of Children's Vision:
- Provide national guidance to staff of Head Start Centers and other early childhood educators to standardize approaches to vision screening
- Improve follow-up for eye care for children who fail the vision screening
- Provide family friendly educational information
- Consult with some of the nation's leading pediatric eye care providers to ensure best practices
The Year of Children's Vision Promises:
To improve uniformity in the national approach for children's vision health in Head Start programs. The effort will provide opportunities for learning and discussion on a monthly basis; free, downloadable resources in multiple languages; expert presentations; and maintain this website for future reference.
YOCV is an exciting, one-of-a-kind effort to support the vision health of children in Head Start programs leading to improved development and school readiness.
Free Year Of Children's Vision Webinars
Why Do We Screen Vision in Young Children
Learn why it is important for Head Start and early Childhood programs screen vision of young children to understand the "why" behind vision screening.
Watch NowDeveloping A Strong Vision Health System (Part I)
This webinar is targeted to the staff of Head Start and other early childhood programs that screen vision in young children. It is important for these centers to develop a strong vision health program that ensures all children will have the opportunity to develop their best visual potential.
Watch NowDeveloping A Strong Vision Health System (Part II)
This webinar is targeted to the staff of Head Start and other early childhood programs that screen vision in young children. It is important for these centers to develop a strong vision health program that ensures all children will have the opportunity to develop their best visual potential.
Watch NowSign Up Today To Receive Notifications For Upcoming Webinars, Resources, & New Products
Vision impairments are common conditions among young children, affecting 5 to 10 percent of all preschool-aged children. If not detected and treated early, vision impairment could affect all aspects of life, negatively impacting a child's ability to learn, athletic performance, and self-esteem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, impaired vision can affect a child's emotional, neurologic, and physical development by potentially limiting the range of experiences and kinds of information to which the child is exposed. A leading preschool vision screening study notes that vision screening is critical to the welfare of our children and can have an impact not only on vision and eye health but also on social development and productivity.
Research has shown that infants and young children with visual impairment have delayed motor development milestones; may express particular mannerisms such as gazing at bright lights, blinking, or eye rubbing; and have delayed language development. Additionally, children with special needs and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds have been shown to have an increased likelihood of eye problems. Improved assessment tools, education and outreach initiatives to support earlier identification of vision problems and appropriate referral to eye care in these vulnerable populations will result in improved potential for better vision. Timely intervention and effective treatment lead to long-term improvements in children's vision and eye health and potentially that of the population at large.
The federal Office of Head Start recognizes the role that healthy vision plays in proper child development and currently requires all children in Head Start programs to be screened for vision problems within 45 days of a child's enrollment. The implementation of this program requirement is left to be interpreted at a local level with little national guidance presently available on training of staff in vision screening, tracking outcomes, or conducting vision screenings. This results in wide variation in vision screening approaches and an inability to measure the success of vision screening practices in Head Start nationally due to differences in data collection and program procedures.
Free Webinars
Why Do We Screen Vision in Young Children
Learn why it is important for Head Start and early Childhood programs screen vision of young children to understand the "why" behind vision screening.
Developing A Strong Vision Health System
This webinar is targeted to the staff of Head Start and other early childhood programs that screen vision in young children. It is important for these centers to develop a strong vision health program that ensures all children will have the opportunity to develop their best visual potential.
Children's Vision Information
Vision Problems:
- Signs of children's vision problems (English) - http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/CB10_Signs_Children_PBA2011.pdf
- Signs of children's vision problems (Spanish) - http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/ES14_Signs_ChildSpan_PBA.pdf
- Amblyopia - http://preventblindness.org/amblyopia-lazy-eye
- Color Vision Deficiency - http://preventblindness.org/color-blindness
- Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) - http://preventblindness.org/conjunctivitis-pink-eye
- Diabetes and your eyes - http://preventblindness.org/diabetes-and-your-eyes
- Refractive errors - http://preventblindness.org/refractive-error-myopiahyperopia-astigmatism
- Strabismus - http://preventblindness.org/strabismus
General Eye Health:
- Family Fact Sheet- Vision Screening is Key to Healthy Development- (English version) http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/PublicFS2_041613.pdf
- Family Fact Sheet- Vision Screening is Key to Healthy Development- (Spanish version) http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/FamilyFS_SPAN%201117_0.pdf
- Family Fact Sheet- Vision Screening is Key to Healthy Development- (Chinese version) http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/sites/default/files/national/documents/fact_sheets/FactSheetFamily_Chinese_0.pdf
- Children's Vision Problems in Culturally Diverse Populations fact sheet - http://www.preventblindness.net/site/DocServer/CVP_CDP_doc_FINAL.pdf?do1cID=3181
- The eye and how we see - http://preventblindness.org/eye-how-we-see
- School readiness - http://www.starpupils.org/pba/content/getting-ready-school
- Development of vision - http://preventblindness.org/your-babys-developingsight
- Eyeglass use in Children - http://preventblindness.org/your-childs-glasses
Eye Safety:
- Fireworks safety - http://preventblindness.org/prevent-eye-injuries-fireworks
- Preventing children's eye injuries - http://preventblindness.org/protect-yourchild-eye-injuries
- Sports eye injuries - http://preventblindness.org/sports-eye-safety
- First aid for eye emergencies - http://preventblindness.org/first-aid-eyeemergencies
- Children and UV protection - http://preventblindness.org/choosing-uvprotection#children
- Preventing eye injuries - http://preventblindness.org/protect-your-child-eyeinjuries
Educational Resources:
- Glossary of vision terms - http://preventblindness.org/glossary
- The Eye Patch Club - http://preventblindness.org/eye-patch-club-0 - The Eye Patch Club is a fun and supportive program for families during a child's amblyopia patching treatment
- StarPupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum: http://preventblindness.org/starpupils-eye-health-and-safety-curriculum - The Star Pupils curricula have been aligned with National Health, National Science and National Physical Education Standards
- Grades K-2 Curriculum provides interesting and fun facts about vision and encourages students to protect their eyes. The three modules can be used to complete a single, longer classroom session on eye health and safety or divided into three shorter classroom lessons.
- Vision discussion Forum for Families (topics include children's vision and sports eye safety) - http://198.170.234.66/cgi-local/discus/discus.cgi?pg=topics
- PBA Public Health Reports on Vision Preservation - http://www.preventblindness.org/prevent-blindness-america-public-healthdocuments
Conversations and Presentations
- NHSA BAM Radio presentation: Vision Screening: Avoiding the Big Mistakes
Guests: Dr. Bruce Moore, Dr. Jean Ramsey, and Susan Proctor
Connecting to Eye Care
- Prevent Blindness America - www.preventblindness.org/vision-care-financialassistance-information
- National Eye Institute- www.nei.nih.gov/health/financialaid.asp
- American Academy of Ophthalmology - www.aao.org/find_eyemd.cfm
- American Optometric Association - www.aoa.org
- All About Vision- www.allaboutvision.com/eye-doctor/
- American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus: http://www.aapos.org/
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: http://www.medicare.gov/physiciancompare
Need assistance in finding a pediatric ophthalmologist? AAPOS has a very helpful online search to help you find an Eye Doctor in your area.
AAPOS Basic Vision Screening Kit
Easy to use Spiral-bound, multisided, distance visual acuity eye charts uses both Sloan Letters and LEA Symbols for testing vision of both adults and children. The eye charts can be either hung on a wall or held in the hands.
Features:
- Sloan Letters for when children know their letters
- LEA Symbols for preschoolers and for children who do not yet know their letters
- Full-Chart Threshold and Single Critical Line formats
- Adhesive occlusion patches, Black hand-held flip paddle occluder and much more
AAPOS Supplemental Screening Package
Developed to complement the AAPOS Vision Screening Kit, this spiral-bound, multisided, near visual acuity eye charts uses both Sloan Letters and LEA Symbols for testing vision of both adults and children. The kit also includes Stereoacutiy Butterfly for binocular vision testing and 16-Plate Psseudoisochromatic color test.
Features:
- Sloan Letters for when children know their letters
- LEA Symbols for preschoolers and for children who do not yet know their letters
- Stereoacutiy Butterfly with polarized glasses
- 16-Plate Psseudoisochromatic color Vision Test
- Adhesive occlusion patches, Black hand-held flip paddle occluder and more
About Prevent Blindness
At Prevent Blindness, our vision is vision - a vision that all children are afforded the benefits of sight as they grow and learn; a vision that all adults are educated about proper eye health care and have access to that same care; a vision that necessary attention is provided to issues surrounding the aging eye; and a vision that no one needlessly loses his or her sight due to unsafe practices.
Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading eye health and safety organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight across all age spectrums and multiple eye conditions. We focus on improving the nation's vision and eye health by educating the American public on the importance of taking care of their eyes and vision, by promoting advances in public health systems of care that support eye health needs, and by advocating for public policy that emphasizes early detection and access to appropriate eye care.
Whether it is working to prevent potentially blinding eye injuries or sight-threatening conditions in young children or older adults - Prevent Blindness America and our partners are here - promoting eye health, safety, early detection, and treatment.
About the National Head Start Association (NHSA)
Our mission is to coalesce, inspire and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.
The National Head Start Association is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life. The opportunities offered by Head Start lead to healthier, empowered children and families, and stronger, more vibrant communities. NHSA is the voice for more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 1,600 Head Start grantees in the United States.
Since 1974, NHSA has worked diligently for policy changes that ensure all at-risk children have access to the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community.
NHSA offers an impressive portfolio of professional development services and programs for the entire early childhood community. These include the annual National Head Start Conference, the largest national event devoted to the Early Head Start and Head Start community, and the National Parent Conference, the only national event devoted to parents and families.
About the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) is the largest association of eye physicians and surgeons dedicated to promoting the highest quality medical and surgical eye care worldwide for children and for adults with strabismus. AAPOS's goals are to advance the quality of children's eye care, support the training of pediatric ophthalmologists, support research activities in pediatric ophthalmology, and advance the care of adults with strabismus. AAPOS establishes practice guidelines for pediatric ophthalmology at the highest level of competence and ethics, and fosters concepts that benefit children's eye health through preventive as well as remedial activities. Children deserve eye care that is evidence-based, and the adults who care for children need the necessary information to make informed choices about their care. AAPOS collaborates with groups interested in improving the quality of care that our patients receive.
About Good-Lite, Inc.
The Good-Lite Company has manufactured and sold evidence-based eye charts, illuminated cabinets, and other vision screening and testing tools nationally and internationally for 83 years. Good-Lite's commitment to quality is only surpassed by its commitment to customer service.
About School Health
School Health Corporation is a family-owned company that has served the school nurse and early education community for more than 60 years. School Health prides itself on being a respected name in health supplies for schools and athletic associations, and most recently in special education through the acquisition of EnableMart, the #1 source for assistive technology.
Good-Lite and School Health Corporation have worked with Head Start personnel for many years to help ensure front-line screeners have the knowledge and evidence-based tools and methods for conducting appropriate vision screening. Both are honored to collaborate with the National Head Start Association, the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health, and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus to further this work through the Year of Children's Vision.
