How lucky are we to live in this part of the world? Not only are kid’s eye exams paid for, but thanks to “Eye See Eye Learn” every kindergarten student in Alberta gets a free pair of glasses, if needed.
Recently, several staff from Mountain View Optometry visited St. Sylvestre Elementary school in NW Calgary to talk to kids and teachers about the program. The program mascot – “Fribbit” – is a great way to make eye care fun for kids.
The “Eye See Eye Learn” program is designed to ensure that vision and/or eye health problems are not barriers to a child’s success in school. 80% of learning is visual, so an undiagnosed vision problem can have significant consequences to a child’s performance in school. We can’t rely on a child’s ability to “tell us” when they have a vision problem – the way they see is normal for them. Similarly, we can’t rely on our own observations of the child’s visual behavior to decide whether or not a vision problem exists. A comprehensive eye exam from an optometrist is the best way to ensure your child’s eyes are healthy and functioning normally.
Alberta Education, our industry sponsors and optometrists of Alberta have joined forces in this initiative to help kids in school. Last year, 36% of kindergarteners received an eye exam. Of those examined, 8% received complementary prescription eyeglasses as a result of the Eye See Eye Learn program.
We need the help of parents and teachers to spread the word about preventive eye care, if we succeed, one day 100% of kindergarten children will get the eye care they need prior to entering elementary school.
-Dr. Tom Wilk