Vision examination results from an inner city Milwaukee high school

Vision disorders are one of the most common disabilities for children in the U.S. Research indicates that vision problems affect more than one in four children; over 12M children. Centers for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report states that only one out of three preschool children received any type of vision assessment. Studies from the past two decades reveal that there exists a public health emergency with respect to children's vision. Millions of children are not receiving essential eye care services, which can help to prevent eye disease, developmental delays, school/social achievement problems. To assess the vision needs of inner city children in a Milwaukee High School, vision examinations were performed on 93 ninth grader (average age 15 ys). Fifty-nine (59%) percent were male. Measures taken included 1) acuities, 2) cover test, 3) retinoscopy 4) saccade/pursuit, 5) convergence 6) visuomotor (VMI), 7) Developmental Eye Movement (DEM), and 8) Quality of Life (QOL). Findings demonstrate that vision problems are significantly greater than anticipated. Correlations between Quality of Life (QOL) and a majority of vision findings were found. No significant correlation was found between QOL and acuity or QOL and refractive error, re-inforcing the adage that "Vision is more than 20/20". Given that many children cannot articulate their eye and vision disorders and that most childhood vision problems can be prevented through early detection and treatment, it is essential that a comprehensive child vision care system be a part of the public health system at the local, state and federal.