Drive to Improve Vision Care for Children

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH), and the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) are calling on health professionals, eye care professionals, and others to apply for a vision-health collaborative,  named “Improving Children’s Vision: Systems, Stakeholders & Support.”

Its mission: Increase by 20 percent over 2011-2012 levels (according to the National Survey of Children’s Health measure) the proportion of children five and younger who receive vision screenings in five selected states by 2018. At that time, NCCVEH should have a comprehensive approach that reduces vision problems of children in hard-to-reach areas.

All teams interested in participating must submit applications via an online portal by April 25, 2016 at 5 p.m. ET. Applications will be selected and parties notified by May 23, 2016.

New Online Program to Support In-School Vision Care Programs

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to create a new online resource to support school nurses in the implementation of stronger vision health programs for the students they serve. More than 12.1 million school-age children, or one in four, have some form of a vision problem which includes refractive errors such as near- and farsightedness, astigmatism, and strabismus. Significant vision problems can begin well before a child reaches school-age. Vision impairments are common conditions, affecting 5 to 10 percent of all preschool-aged children. According to the National Eye Institute, two to five percent of children ages three to five have amblyopia, three to four percent have strabismus, and 10-15 percent have significant refractive error. Read more.

Children's Book That Tests Eyes Rated the World's Most effective Ad Campaign

"A children's book in Australia, which makes it easier for parents to screen their child's vision, has been named the world's most effective advertising campaign," according to a post on Mashable. "Australian ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi created Penny the Pirate book, which has eye tests disguised as images on its pages, for optometry company OPSM. The Warc 100, an annual ranking of marketing campaigns that tests effectiveness of ads, placed the book and app as its number one campaign for 2016, based on its performance in 2015. Combining a traditional book and a tablet app that is available for free, Penny the Pirate incorporates multiple vision tests into a fun kids' book, allowing parents to test their eyesight as they read the story to their child. No frightening optometrist visits here." Read more.

Link between ADHD and Vision Impairment

"A new study sheds light on a link between noncorrectable vision problems and ADHD in children," reports Science Daily. "Results from a large survey of 75,000 children suggest an increased risk of ADHD among children with vision problems that are not correctable with glasses or contacts, such as color blindness or lazy eye, relative to other children. This finding suggests that children with vision impairment should be monitored for signs and symptoms of ADHD so that this dual impairment of vision and attention can best be addressed." Read more.

Atropine Eye Drops Slow Nearsightedness in Children

"Atropine .01 percent eye drops slow down nearsightedness by roughly 50 percent in five-year clinical trial on Singaporean children," reports Science Daily. "Researchers suggest low-dose drops safe as 'first line' defense against rapid development of nearsightedness in children." Read more.

New Kids Eyewear from Vera Bradley

"The Vera Bradley Kids collection returns with the latest styles and colors to make every young girl feel extraordinary. Lana, Joni, May and Ada offer classic eyeshapes and colors for styles beyond compare, with spring hinges in every frame for a comfortable fit and prominently featuring the latest Vera Bradley colors, these frames are sure to make her feel unique and special." That's the word from Midwest Lens. Read more.

New Kids Eyewear from Lucky Brand

"America’s fastest selling kids eyewear brand, Lucky Brand Kids, is unveiling its long-anticipated new fashions for this coming back-to-school season, elevating the collection’s excitement with bold new designs, coloring techniques, and features that are both functional and consistent with Lucky Brand’s reputation for outstanding quality," according to Midwest Lens. "From bold colors to classic neutrals, the new Lucky Brand Kids collection lets kids explore the possibilities of expression and develop their own unique style. With ahead-of-the-curve design elements like cutaway two-layer laminated acetate with vibrant colors, silkscreen printed patterns, and flattering silhouettes, the collection is cool, clever and full of fun." Read more.

New Kids Eyewear from Match

"With summer in full swing, Back-to-School planning can’t be far behind. Just in time to send them back in style, Match Eyewear introduces a new ophthalmic collection from Float Kids, including 2 styles for girls and 2 for boys," reports Midwest Lens. "As a fashion rule, the hottest trends for adults quickly translate into the coolest looks for kids, and eyewear is no exception. Float Kids combines grown-up designs with fresh and fun styling to create distinctive looks for kids to call their own." Read more.

New Kids Eyewear from Mykita

"Mykita First marks the long-awaited debut of a children’s eyewear collection by Mykita," reports Midwest Lens. "Carrying on the distinctive Mykita design aesthetic, First introduces a range of seven unisex models: four optical and three sunglass frames. Specifically designed for children aged eight and older, the frames are sturdy yet ultimately light. All glasses are sealed with a rubber coating, giving the entire frame a robust and scratch-resistant surface. Selected models feature bright temple tips that simply add to the fun. Mykita First sunglasses are fitted with tinted Zeiss lenses that provide maximum glare control, plus 100% protection against UV rays." Read more.

Davis Vision and Visionworks Launch Back-to-School Program

Visionworks and Davis Vision are launching ‘Let’s Go See,’ a cause marketing initiative focused on raising awareness about the importance of children receiving an annual eye exam. Reports from The Center for Health in Schools show that about 60% of students classified as problem learners have some sort of undetected visual problem. Read more.

Prevent Blindness Offers Assistance to Parents and Educators Regarding Healthy Eyesight for Children

Healthy eyesight can help improve a child’s chance at success in the classroom, so Prevent Blindness is asking parents to make an appointment for an eye exam for their children. In line, the association declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month. The non-profit group has a variety of resources to help put children on the path to a lifetime of healthy vision:

• PreventBlindness.org includes free information on a variety of children’s eye health topics including amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), UV-protection and sports safety.
• Through its National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH), PB offers the online School Requirements for Children's Visionmap that provides information about state legislation for vision screening and/or mandated eye exams
• The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates that all health insurance include a pediatric vision benefit. In most states, that includes one comprehensive eye exam and one pair of eyeglasses. For more information, Prevent Blindness offers the fact sheet in English or Spanish, “The Affordable Care Act and Your Child's Eyes.”
• Prevent Blindness partners with programs such as VSP’s “Sight for Students,” “OneSight” from Luxottica, and “Let’s Go See” from Visionworks and Davis Vision, that provide free eye exams and glasses to children who qualify.
• For educators, Prevent Blindness offers the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The program, which is available free for download upon request, provides teachers with interactive materials that help students learn the importance of sight, components of the eye and how we see, and how to identify objects and situations that can be dangerous to eyes. The program meets National Health, National Science and National Physical Education standards and includes lesson plans with presentation PowerPoints and teacher guides, in-class activities and take-home worksheets.

For more information on children’s eye health and safety, the NCCVEH, eye care assistance programs, or the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020.

Benefits of Ophthalmological Exams for Young Children Remain Up in the Air

"It remains unclear whether a special ophthalmological examination of all children younger than 6 years (and potential follow-up treatments) would reduce the frequency and severity of visual impairment (amblyopia) in the population," according to a Medical News Today post. "An update search conducted for a benefit assessment of the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) from 2008 identified no new screening study. No benefit of vision screening in preschool-aged children could be derived from the only new treatment study. This is the finding of a rapid report prepared by IQWiG on behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) and published on 17 June 2015." Read more.

New Kids Eyewear from Vera Bradley

"The Vera Bradley Kids collection returns with the latest styles and colors to make every young girl feel extraordinary," says Midwest Lens. "Aster, Zoey and Gigi offer classic eyeshapes and colors for styles beyond compare, with spring hinges in every frame for a comfortable fit. Prominently featuring the latest Vera Bradley colors, these frames are sure to make her feel unique and special." Read more.

New Flexon Kids Eyewear from Marchon

"The new Flexon Kids Eyewear Collection seamlessly blends supreme durability with the latest fashion trends, thus creating must-have frames that can withstand kids’ daily accidents. Flexon is a titanium alloy, which, unlike other metals, can “remember” and return to its original set shape even after it bends and twists. With Flexon, parents can rest easy knowing their children’s frames are hip enough for their youngster and resilient enough to handle everyday wear and tear," according to Midwest Lens. "The collection features four metal front frames paired with a stainless steel temple core and a high-quality rubber temple sleeve. A wide array of colors featured in a cool, playful camouflage pattern sets the tone for this fresh, vibrant collection for both boys and girls. The modern shapes and colorful palette are highly appealing to kids ages 3 to 10, who want a fun and sporty vibe." Read more.

New Eywear from Ogi Kids

"Ogi Eyewear expands the Ogi Kids line with new styles in the “Mommy & Me, Daddy & I” collection, a high-demand series of coordinating adult and child-sized frames," reports Midwest Lens. "The Ogi Kids Collection by Ogi Eyewear combines form and function to create a unique line of fashionable frames modeled after the best-selling adult styles. This notion is beautifully demonstrated in the new OK316 and OK317. By fusing sophisticated textures with vibrant colors, these two additions help to solidify Ogi Kids as a leader in the children’s eyewear segment." Read more.

More Eye Exams for Children in School

"Last year, I went with a small group of ophthalmologists to a South Bronx middle school to conduct vision exams. One neatly dressed boy had trouble seeing the big E at the top of the chart. He hesitated and made mistakes on the second line, and then put his head down, embarrassed. "I don’t think you can see the chart,' I said. He told me he couldn’t remember ever having an eye exam. I thought he might be an anomaly," says Pamelin F. Gallin, professor of ophthalmology and of pediatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. She argues for more eye exams of school children in the New York Times. "I was wrong. My colleagues and I have conducted 2,400 screenings on students in three New York City middle schools: one in the South Bronx, one in Williamsburg and one in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. We have prescribed and distributed 450 free pairs of glasses to the nearly one-fifth of the kids who had 20/40 vision (which means street signs and chalkboards are blurry) or worse. Many of the kids knew they couldn’t see the board, but hadn’t thought to ask for a checkup, because their vision had deteriorated gradually." Read more.

Interchangeable Children's Eyewear Coming to U.S.

funoogles has launched its interchangeable, customizable prescription eyewear for children line in the United States. The idea came from founder Jessica Darcy's seven-year-old daughter, Ella-Jane. Born with a congenital cataract, Ella-Jane understood that glasses were necessary, but she bored with having to wear the same frames each day. She asked her mom if it would be possible to create glasses made of interchangeable parts, leading to the development of funoogles. "The first time Ella-Jane put on a pair of funoogles, she lit up with excitement," said Darcy. "Eager to show them off, she debuted this initial pair to her friends at school who then became interested in owning a pair of funoogles, too. With that I realized that other children should also have the opportunity to customize their glasses." funoogles glasses are made from TR-90. The "starter pack" includes a clear colored eyewear base known as a core (to keeps the lenses in place), an interchangeable outline clip, full clip, brow clip, and temples. The cost $99.99, which now are sold online, but the company wants to work with retailers. Read more.

Computerized Vision Screening for Children Works, Says Study

"A new report published in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) describes the effectiveness of a new computer-based vision-screening test, the Jaeb Visual Acuity Screener (JVAS), which is suitable for use in schools and pediatrician's offices," according to Science Daily. "'Broad adoption of this tool would result in a more standardized approach to pediatric vision screening in diverse medical and community office settings,' commented lead investigator Tomohiko Yamada, OD, of the Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 'In comparison to traditional vision testing methodologies, this software-based tool provides the advantage of running on any windows-based PC in a pediatrician's examination room -- avoiding testing in distracting office hallways.' JVAS is a computerized screening program developed by the Jaeb Center for Health Research that is designed to identify children with subnormal visual acuity in a rapid and reproducible manner. It uses a set testing algorithm to minimize subjective tester bias. It also uses age-specific visual acuity standards to provide a simple pass/fail result for four age groups (3, 4, 5 or 6, and 7 and over)." Read more.

Simple Eye Test for 7 Year Olds Predicts Onset of Myopia

"Researchers have found that a simple eye test in first grade could predict the onset of nearsightedness by eight grade," reports Medical News Today. "Such a test could enable parents to plan eye testing schedules and glasses, and even opens up the research opportunities into therapies that could prevent the need for glasses.A study of over 4,500 children published in JAMA Ophthalmology identified 414 who became nearsighted (had myopia, in which further distances are seen as blurry) by the time they were between 7 and 13 years of age." Read more.

New Sunglasses from Nike Vision

"Nike Vision, the premium eyewear brand combining the science of vision with expertise in sport, announces its inaugural pair of young athletes’ performance eyewear,' goes the Midwest Lens post. "For more than a decade, Nike Vision’s sport eyewear has been the choice of top athletes. The brand’s first youth performance style will be the Skylon Ace XV Jr." Read more.