255422 Eyes that Thrive in School

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 5:10 PM - 5:30 PM

Catherine A. Johnson, OD , Department of Specialty and Advanced Care, New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA
Stacy A. Lyons, OD , The New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA
Karine Martirosyan, MD, MPH , Head Start and Children's Services Department, Action for Boston Community Development, Inc (ABCD), Boston, MA
Katherine Majzoub, RN, MBA , Prevent Blindness America, Boston, MA
     
The optimal time to treat pediatric vision conditions, including amblyopia, conditions leading to amblyopia, and significant refractive errors, is during the preschool years. Diagnosis of a vision condition is only useful if a child is able to access and participate in treatment. Preschool based education, communication, advocacy, facilitation and supervision of vision interventions links parents, pediatricians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, teachers and health managers to support treatment plan compliance. Eyes that Thrive in School is a community-based program that delivers classroom based care of prescribed vision treatment plans for preschool age children who have been diagnosed with vision conditions at four ABCD Boston Head Start Program Sites. Project activities include education to ABCD Boston Head Start health managers and staff; education to Head Start families; development and implementation of Vision Action Plans (VAP) and Compliance Tracker (CT) monitoring tools for children who require vision intervention (n=30); fabricating and dispensing Eyes that Thrive classroom based eye glasses; development of condition-specific education cards; and ongoing consultation with health managers and families regarding individual VAPs and classroom activities including materials to support compliance with VAPs. Monthly check-ins with Head Start Program Health Managers monitor the use of VAPs and CTs at Eyes that Thrive in School sites. Compliance with VAPs will be reported.

Future plans are for this community program to be implemented at all ABCD Boston Head Start sites.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Assess whether compliance with pediatric vision treatment plans can be accomplished through school-based support of Vision Action Plans, a pair of eyeglasses for use at school, and community education.

Keywords: Vision Care, Child Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Chair, Department of Specialty and Advanced Care Services Professor, New England College of Optometry Co-Investigator, Eyes That Thrive In School
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4430.0: Preventing Vision Loss and Promoting Eye Health Across the Lifespan