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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – CHICAGO (July 21, 2015) – Kids and parents are gearing up to head back to school. Because healthy eyesight can help improve a child’s chance at success in the classroom, Prevent Blindness is asking parents to make an appointment for an eye exam to make sure their child is seeing clearly.
Prevent Blindness has declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month to inspire parents to make their child’s vision health a priority. The non-profit group has a variety of resources to help put children on the path to a lifetime of healthy vision:
- PreventBlindness.org includes free information on a variety of children’s eye health topics including amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), UV-protection and sports safety.
- Because vision requirements for school enrollment vary by state, Prevent Blindness, through its National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH), offers the online School Requirements for Children’s Vision map that provides information about state legislation for vision screening and/or mandated eye exams
- The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates that all health insurance include a pediatric vision benefit. In most states, that includes one comprehensive eye exam and one pair of eyeglasses. For more information, Prevent Blindness offers the fact sheet in English or Spanish, “The Affordable Care Act and Your Child’s Eyes.”
- Prevent Blindness partners with programs such as VSP’s “Sight for Students,” “OneSight” from Luxottica, and “Let’s Go See” from Visionworks and Davis Vision, that may provide free eye exams and glasses to children who qualify.
- For educators, Prevent Blindness offers the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The program, which is available free for download upon request, provides teachers with interactive materials that help students learn the importance of sight, components of the eye and how we see, and how to identify objects and situations that can be dangerous to eyes. The program meets National Health, National Science and National Physical Education standards and includes lesson plans with presentation PowerPoints and teacher guides, in-class activities and take-home worksheets.
“This time of year, preparing to send our kids back to school can be hectic and sometimes stressful,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We hope to help make the process easier and arm parents with the vision information they need to get the school year kicked off right.”
For more information on children’s eye health and safety, the NCCVEH, eye care assistance programs, or the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020 or visit preventblindness.org.
About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.org or facebook.com/preventblindness.
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