Many Fort Worth students lack access to vision care. Here’s how FWISD is helping
A new pair of glasses means more than just great vision care for one Fort Worth fifth grader.
Javion Isaac, 10, thinks of his glasses as a fashion statement.
The Clifford Davis Elementary School student is one of many in the Fort Worth school district receiving help with vision care. A school nurse discovered the student needed a new prescription after conducting a vision screening.
This led to him receiving a comprehensive eye exam and free glasses through a partnership between the school district, the Alcon Foundation, Community Eye Clinic and the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
His mom, Asia Jefferson, said he is now doing better in all areas, including school. Jefferson said the program is great for students, especially those who may not be able to afford receiving vision care on a regular basis.
A study by the Alcon Foundation determined that one-third of students in the district lack eye correction and many did not have access to vision care services. The school district plans to provide vision screenings and eye exams to 35,000 elementary students this academic year and open an eye care center.
“Providing vision care services for our students is an essential need,” said Presciliana Olayo, FWISD Children’s Vision Care Program coordinator.
Why is vision care important?
Vision care plays an important role in child development, according to Dr. Sima Mozdbar, a professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
“We know that an estimated 80% of learning occurs through visual activities,” Mozdbar said. “Having undetected or untreated vision problems can really interfere with a child’s ability to perform at their full learning potential. It can also lead to problems with life-long extracurricular and social success down the line.”
Texas requires schools to perform vision screenings on students. Four-year-olds, kindergartners and older children entering school for the first time must be screened 120 days after admission. Additionally, children in first, third, fifth and seventh grade must have a screening during the school year.
Vision screenings are an effective approach to identify children who are at-risk for medical conditions. It allows children to follow up for a comprehensive eye exam, according to Mozdbar.
The American Optometric Association recommends that children have their first eye exam between 6-12 months of age and again between 3 and 5-years-old. Children should then have one before first grade and annually thereafter.
Signs that a child may need an eye exam include: squinting, trouble concentrating on school work, tilting their head or covering one eye, or sitting too close to the TV or handheld devices, headaches and eye pain.
Vision Care Program and Eye Exam Center
Ottis Goodwin, FWISD’s director of family and community resources, said the school district works on making sure all students have quality access to care and that it removes any possible health disparities.
The vision care program is focused on providing a comprehensive approach to help children. It provides the state-mandated vision screenings, but also optometry services and parent education.
So far this school year, the program has conducted vision screenings for around 26,000 students from pre-K through fifth grade and optometry services at several elementary schools. Students at Title I schools will also be served. These students may be uninsured or qualify for Medicaid.
In September, a three-year partnership with the Alcon Foundation was approved to provide for an eye care center at Western Hills Elementary’s Resource Center. The Alcon Foundation has helped provide eye care services to students in the district for more than nine years.
“The intent of the center is to provide support, not only to elementary grade levels, but it will support students all the way up to 18 years old,” Olayo said. “Where we are providing full optometry services.”
The center will provide a place for families to go to if a student needs follow-up services, like replacing glasses that are broken or lost.
The district has had school-based health centers for years. This will be the first eye care center. Goodwin said it will meet a big need for students and establish a higher quality of vision care for students.
“It truly is magical when you see the students put on their glasses and that expression on their face,” Olayo said. “We do get a swell of calls from the parents. They will say ‘Thank you, I don’t have the money or the resources.’ I have had parents who have cried.”
Resources:
Fort Worth ISD’s Vision Care Program: 817-814-2813
InfantSee no-cost assessments: https://www.infantsee.org/
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
