Healthy eyes and good vision are critical to a young child’s development. Whether it’s an infant seeing the smiling face of a parent or a preschooler being able to get the teacher in focus, good eyesight is important.  That’s why efforts are underway to help identify potential problems early on to help kids succeed later in life.

For students in a Fresno County Head Start program, having their vision tested is really more of a fun activity. “We introduce it as a game. We have the glasses that look like a little moose ears and we try to make it fun,” says Registered Nurse Kathy Hix.

Kathy works with three Head Start school sites in Fresno County administering a number of health screenings with the vision screening being a key component. “This is where we’re starting to teach them letter and number recognition so, it’s important that they’re able to see clearly what the teachers are showing them.”

Each child attending Head Start has a vision screening within the first 45 days they begin school.  Head Start Teacher, Lisa Garza, finds the screenings very beneficial. Lisa says if the vision deficiency is determined early, then the child can enter kindergarten with a pair of glasses and have services already set for them.

Kathy says it can be difficult at times to determine if a child this young really has a vision problem.  “Sometimes our younger children who are just barely turning three will take a couple of times to play the game to get the idea of what it is we want."  In addition, children at this age have been to the doctor numerous times and have received numerous immunizations. When they see the nurse, the kids are fearful there may be a needle involved.

While the vision screening can’t detect every problem, the nurse will look for a few key issues. 

• Child is unable to identify the proper letter
• An “amblyopia” or lazy eye.  This is when the eye muscles don’t work together.  It’s quite common in children this age and if it is found early, it’s completely treatable.

The early identification of a vision problem is not only good for the individual student; it’s beneficial for the entire class. Children participate often in large groups such as a music class. “The kids participate more and it seems like they can see me doing what I need to do; singing songs, the finger plays, or reading a book,” says Lisa.

If you’re child is not yet school age and hasn’t had their vision screened recently, there are a few signs to look for that may point to a vision problem.

Signs to look for

• Constant eye rubbing
• Extreme light sensitivity
• Poor focusing
• Poor visual tracking or following of an object
• Abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (Applies after 6 months of age.)
• Chronic redness of the eyes
• Chronic tearing of the eyes
• A white pupil instead of a black pupil

If you see any of these signs in your child, make an appointment to see their pediatrician.