August is Children’s
Vision and Learning Month
.
Since 1995, August has been declared National Children’s Vision and Learning Month to raise awareness of the prevalence of undiagnosed or misdiagnosed vision problems.1 This year, the American Optometric Association designated 2020 the Year of the Eye Exam (#2020EyeExam).2 Experts recommend specific vision exams by age 3.3 The Florida Department of Children and Families is required to arrange for comprehensive medical services, including vision care, for children being served by the child welfare system.
Facts & Figures 5.8% of children in a survey of those with special health care needs had unmet vision care needs. African-American, Latinx, and multi-racial children were two to three times as likely to have unmet vision care needs compared to White children.4
In 2015, the prevalence of visual impairment among children ages 3 to 5 was 1.5%. Florida represented the third highest prevalence by state. By 2060, researchers expect the number of Florida preschoolers with visual impairment to increase by 27% based on population estimates.5
Visual impairment in the first few years of life can impede development of cognitive and motor functions6 as well as early literacy.7
Research suggests that youth with undetected visual impairments might be misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as they have similar signs and symptoms.8,9
About 35-50 percent of children in foster care have special health care needs compared to less than 20 percent of children in the general population.10 A large study of U.S. children in foster care with documented disabilities found that 7% of disabilities were related to vision or hearing.11
Nearly 35% of youth incarcerated in detention centers had uncorrected refracted errors (e.g., near-sightedness, far-sightedness), compared to 22% of comparable youth in public school. Scholars suggest these visual impairments create academic performance challenges, which can lead to ignoring homework, truancy, and criminal behavior.12
The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health offers vision care resources for parents and caregivers, which includes a glossary of eye and vision terms and videos of what to expect at pediatric eye exams.13
Institute Affiliates We have affiliates with expertise in health and health policy. Learn more about their work in our affiliate directory:
FICW.FSU.EDU/AFFILIATES
Michael Killian, Ph.D., MSW
Karen Oehme, J.D.
Pam Macdill, MSW
Riaan van Zyl, Ph.D.
Florida State University Florida State University
Florida State University
University of South Florida
Terry Rhodes, D.Min
The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida
Institute Spotlight Dr. Michael Killian’s, Ph.D., MSW, research focuses on chronic health issues in
pediatrics and advanced quantitative and statistical methods in social work research. Dr. Killian’s primary research is with pediatric organ transplant recipients and their families, adherence to medication regimens, and post-transplant health-related quality of life and health outcomes. He serves as Research Faculty at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and their Solid Organ Transplant Program. In addition to serving as an Assistant Professor for the FSU College of Social Work, he is also a Research Scientist for the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children where he assists with coordination of research and resources across each of the four affiliated institutes and centers. Previously he worked in partnership with the pediatric heart and lung transplant team at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida, and as a Leverhulme Visiting Fellow at the Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care at the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom. He recently received a COVID-19 Collaborative Collision Grant from Florida State University to develop and pilot a telehealth intervention for adolescents who have received a heart transplant. Learn more about Dr. Killian’s work on his faculty page on CSW.FSU.EDU 1 2
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College of Optometrists in Vision Development. (n.d.). August is vision & learning month! Retrieved July 20, 2020 from https://www.covd.org/page/August_VL Cision PR Newswire. (2020, January 10). The American Optometric Association (AOA) launches nationwide campaign to make 2020 the year of the eye exam. Retrieved July 20, 2020 from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-american-optometric-association-aoa-launches-nationwide-campaign-to-make-2020-the-year-of-the-eye-exam-300985139.html HealthyChildren.org. (2016). Vision screenings. Retrieved July 20, 2020 from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/Vision-Screenings.aspx Heslin, K. C., Casey, R., Shaheen, M. A., Cardenas, F., & Baker, R. S. (2006). Racial and ethnic differences in unmet need for vision care among children with special health care needs. Archives of Ophthalmology, 124(6), 895-902. doi: 10.1001/archopht.124.6.895 Varma, R., Tarczy-Hornoch, K., & Jiang, X. (2017). Visual impairment in preschool children in the United States: Demographic and geographic variations from 2015 to 2060. JAMA Ophthalmology, 135(6), 610-616. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.1021 Atikinson, J., Anker, S., Nardini, M., Braddick, O., Hughes, C.,…Atkinsonn, S. (2002). Infant vision screening predicts failures on motor and cognitive tests up to school age. Strabismus, 10(3), 187-198. Kulp, M. T., Ciner, E., Maguire, M., Moore, B., Pentimonti, J.,…Ying, G. (2016). Uncorrected hyperopia and preschool early literacy: Results of the Vision in Preschoolers – Hyperopia in Preschoolers (VIP-HIP) Study. Ophthalmology, 123(4), 681-689. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.11.023. Granet, D. B., Gomi, C. F., Ventura, R., & Miller-Scholte, A. (2005). The relationship between convergence insufficiency and ADHD. Strabismus, 13(4), 163-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/09273970500455436 College of Optometrists in Vision Development. (n.d.). ADHD & Vision. Retrieved July 20, 2020 from https://www.covd.org/page/ADHD Carabez, R., & Eun Kim, J. (2019). PART I: The role of public health nursing in addressing health care needs of children in foster care. Public Health Nursing, 36, 702–708. doi: 10.1111/phn.12647 Seltzer, R. R., Johnson, S. B., & Minkovitz, C. S. (2017). Medical complexity and placement outcomes for children in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 83, 385-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.11.002 Harrie, R. P., & Harrie, P. C. (2016). The prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors in adolescents incarcerated in a youth detention center. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 33, 273-277. doi: 10.1007/s10560-015-0422-4 National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health. (n.d.). Parent/caregiver resources. Retrieved July 20, 2020 from https://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/resources-for-parents-and-caregivers/
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare seeks to promote safety, permanency, and well-being among the children and families of Florida that are involved with the child welfare system. FICW.FSU.EDU
@FSUChildWelfare