In continuing coverage from previous editions of First Look, Alabama's Clanton Advertiser (8/12) reported, "As parents send their children back to school, one of the most important things they can do to help ensure their child's ability to learn is to take them for an eye exam. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends comprehensive eye exams especially for children entering preschool and kindergarten." In particular, "[c]hildren entering preschool or kindergarten benefit the most from comprehensive eye exams," although "they rarely receive them early enough. Currently, only 14 percent of children under age six have received a comprehensive eye exam, according to the U.S. Center for Health Statistics." During an eye exam, an optometrist can detect "common vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, as well as more serious conditions such as amblyopia."
Blindness prevention group head emphasizes importance of vision screening for children. In an opinion piece in Tennessee's Chattanoogan (8/12), Jenny Pomeroy, CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia, wrote, "Since about 80 percent of learning in a child's first 12 years comes through the eyes, it is very important to ensure that...school-aged children can see properly." Across the U.S., "five percent of preschool children have significant visual impairment," Pomeroy noted, adding that "[m]any of these children will develop amblyopia, or 'lazy eye' blindness, if their eye conditions are not diagnosed and treated early." Studies have shown that "sight can be saved in 98 percent of children if treatment is begun by age four. At age six, only 20 percent of children's sight can be saved, and if treatment is delayed until age ten, these children may be blind in one eye for a lifetime," Pomeroy pointed out. Therefore, she urged parents to make sure that their children "can see properly," and that the children receive vision screening "appropriately, and at an early age."
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