Add vision screening to Back-to-School shopping lists

PARENTS and carers are being urged to add child vision screening to their back-to-school shopping lists to give Far Northern children the best start to their education.

The prep vision screening service, delivered by the statewide Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program, aims to give Queensland children the best start to their education as they transition into primary school.

Registered nurses Julie-Ann and Jessica, based at Cairns North Community Health, visit local schools across Cairns and the Cassowary Coast to provide free vision screening for prep students.

Last year, Julie-Ann and Jessica screened 1,891 children, five per cent of whom were referred to eye health professionals for further assessment.

The prep screening service has provided new figures showing the importance of early childhood vision screening, helping detect conditions such as amblyopia or a ‘lazy eye’ which – if not treated early – can lead to blindness.

Caravonica State School principal Michelle Davis, one of 67 schools across the Far North serviced by the centre’s nursing team, knows the importance of vision screening.

Ms Davis’ son Jakob, now 20, had his vision screened at Wonga Beach State School at age five.

“They told me he had a vision problem with his right eye,” she said.

“We took him to an optometrist and basically found out that his eye muscle had stopped developing probably around the age of two or three.

“Thankfully, this issue was caught in time, so they could work on this until he was seven.

“He was given prescription lenses, and we patched the lens on his left eye to teach his right eye to do all the work. We were also given activities to make his eye as strong as possible.”

Julia-Ann Douglas, a Registered Nurse with the Prep Vision Screening program, said seven out of 10 children referred to specialists were found to have a vision abnormality.

“Vision screening checks for common eye conditions that may impact your child’s ability to see and therefore impact their learning and development,” Ms Douglas said.

“This includes eye conditions such as myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness), astigmatism, strabismus (squint/turned eye), and amblyopia (lazy eye).

“All of these conditions, if not treated early, can lead to serious vision problems, including blindness.”

She said the program screened children’s vision using two non-invasive screening tools: a card matching game and a photograph of the eyes taken with a special automated camera and took less than five minutes per patient.

“If your child’s vision is screened, you will be sent the results in writing,” she said.

“If a vision concern is found, you will receive a phone call from the nurse to discuss referral to an eye health professional (optometrist or ophthalmologist) for further assessment.”

For further information about the Prep Vision Screening program, visit: https:// www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/serviceprimary-school-nurse-health-readinessprogram/ or click on https://bit.ly/3Rqzj78 in our online edition.