Letter to the Editor

Did you have your child's vision screened?

Monday, September 20, 2004

Back to school is a hectic time for any parent: remembering the booster shots, school supplies and schedules; however, one appointment no parent should forget to make is for a vision screening.

Eighty percent of what a child learns is through visual comprehension.

By neglecting your child's vision health you could be compounding a problem that could easily be avoided because visual problems can lead to social and learning problems as well.

For example, The Eye Care Council reports that 30 percent of children in special education classes and 80 percent of juvenile delinquents have vision problems.

The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation would just like to remind all parents to schedule a vision screening for their child.

The Foundation offers free vision screenings to children between 6 months and 5 years of age through daycares and public screenings statewide. This type of basic screening can help to detect the presence of vision abnormalities such as lazy eye, farsightedness and nearsightedness.

The Foundation also recommends that parents take their child into an eye care specialist for a full professional eye examination for full diagnosis and treatment.

The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation is a statewide not-for-profit organization with the mission to preserve and restore eyesight through the work of its community programs and eye bank operations.

The Foundation's programs include: Amblyopia Prevention Screening, Eye Care Assistance, Glaucoma Detection Screening, Eyeglass Recycling, Heartland Lions Eye Banks, and Support of Ocular Research. For more information contact Tiffany at (573) 443-1471, ext. 230, or visit our Web site, mlerf.org.

Erin Vickery is a public relations and development assistant for the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation