Strengthening the eyes of the future: Palmetto Health Vision Screening Program

Overview/Purpose:

Palmetto Health's Vision Initiative focuses on the immediate need to improve on the vision health of the children of Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties. The initiative teaches both parent and child the importance of proper eye care to include regular eye examinations and glasses that will allow a child's doctor to detect and treat visual problems at the earliest possible opportunity.

Goals:

To reduce potential vision problems by intervening early and educating parents and children on the importance of following a recommended schedule for vision exams.

Measures:

The research questions were assessed using survey instruments completed by the children/parents. Quantitative data was collected from school records with parent's permission. Investigator designed standard form for capturing children's academic performance. Follow-up data results were compare to initial assessment tools completed at the time of the initial screening.

Results:

The evaluation data show that the Palmetto Vision Care Initiative is one of the community projects providing critically needed services to the population it was designed to reach. From1998 to 2005, 2,928 students participated in the vision screening program. Those children who received glasses as a result of the screening program showed significant improvement in their overall academic performance. Self-report data indicated that 70% (2049) of the students saw improvement and 86% (2518) of the parents viewed the program as effective academically. When evaluated in terms of actual grades received, there was markedly a decline in the letter grades D and F and a substantial increase in the letter grades A and B.