See To Learn Offers Children Free Vision Assessments

TAHLEQUAH The Kiwanis Club of Tahlequah and Northeastern State University Oklahoma Optometry College (NSU-OCO) have teamed up to provide free vision and eye health assessments to all children age five and under. Called See To Learn, the special program encourages parents to get their child's vision tested before entering kindergarten.

According to the American Optometric Association, it is important that parents get their children's eyes checked early in order to ensure that they are visually ready to learn when they enter school. Recent statistics from the American Optometric Association show that 20 percent of children entering kindergarten in the United States may have vision conditions that could hinder their ability to read and to learn.

NSU-OCO dean, Dr. George Foster, said that these vision assessments are an important service to the community. "Early detection and treatment of eye and vision conditions in children is so critical, for, by the time a child reaches high school, the number of students with vision problems jumps to more than 30 percent. Unfortunately, many of those vision problems are not detected at school screenings, so parents assume that their children's eyes are fine, when there may actually be some potentially sight-threatening problems," Dr. Foster said.

Dr. Michele Bither, the coordinator of the See To Learn program for the NSU-OCO Clinics notes that early vision and eye health assessment may be even more important for a child's future than parents realize. "The consequences of undetected vision problems may have far-reaching effects. Research studies show that more than 60 percent of people in adult literacy programs have vision problems. It's also been found that 70 percent of juvenile delinquents have vision problems as well. It is even higher in the prison population," she said.

"The See To Learn program is designed to assess children five and under because we want to make sure that there is nothing visual that could get in the way of learning when they enter school. This makes a lot of sense when you realize that more than 80 percent of learning in the classroom takes place through the eyes. If the child cannot focus his/her eyes, sees double when looking at a book, or gets headaches when reading, then learning can be that much more difficult," Dr. Bither said.

"Many of these visual problems can be treated successfully if we can see the child early in their schooling; these problems can be much more difficult to treat later on. We feel so strongly about making sure that every child five and under receives this care, that we are willing to provide this service at no cost to families in our community and region."

JoAnn Bradley, the president of the Tahlequah Kiwanis Club, is an enthusiastic supporter of the program. "We were very concerned that so few children have their eyes checked before entering school. When a child's eyes don't track well or focus well together, learning can be so much more difficult from the outset. This can contribute to problems with learning. The Tahlequah Kiwanis club felt so strongly about this program, about the importance of children's vision and eye health, that we have adopted See To Learn as our Priority One Children's Project."

Bradley noted that Kiwanis International has children as their main focus of service. Each local club across the nation must have a main service project for each year, one that specifically benefits and serves children - the Priority One Children's Project.

"We want to see the See To Learn project spread throughout the states of Oklahoma and Texas, so that more and more children will have the benefits of eye and vision checks.Through the efforts of the Tahlequah Kiwanis club, Dr. Tom Baker, Dr. Kate Miller, and Dr. Debbie Coy, local optometrists are also now able to offer free See To Learn vision and eye health assessments to preschool children and infants."

For many years, optometrists in the region have donated their services to assist needy families and children with their vision needs through civic groups and community service programs. Optometrists and auxiliary members have also worked in literacy programs helping adults to learn to read, because more than 60 percent of the adults in those programs have eye or vision problems.

Dr. Bither said that the See To Learn program was originally started by optometrists in Kansas who saw many children and young adults with undiagnosed vision problems that were not detected until the children were already behind in school. It was also found that more than 30 percent of special education children have undiagnosed vision problems.

To schedule an appointment for a free vision assessment* for your child age five and under, call the NSU Oklahoma Optometry College Clinic at 918-458-2109. Dr. Baker's office can be reached at 918-453-0900. Dr. Miller's office can be reached at 918-456-2250. Dr. Coy's office can be reached at 918-478-8898 (Ft. Gibson).

*The assessment does not include a prescription for eyeglasses or the cost of the eyeglasses.