Grey Bruce Public Health says that they’ve had success in vision screening for senior kindergarten students thanks to a community partnership.
Senior Public Health Manager Dr. Chimere Okoronkwo says that a partnership with the Lion’s Club has been a success when it comes to completing the screenings.
In his report to the board of health, he says that 89% of eligible senior kindergarten students from 47 elementary schools throughout the region were able to participate in the in-school screening program.
Okoronkwo says that out of the 1,754 children screened, 38% had vision concerns identified.
“Apart from those that were identified, we equally encourage parents as a whole, regardless of what the screening result is to ensure that they take their children for a comprehensive eye examination.”
He says that while the screening is useful to find issues that might otherwise be missed, it does not supersede a full eye exam from an optometrist.
The screenings were done in partnership with District A-9 Lion’s Club volunteers.
The volunteers, trained by GBPH, administered the vision screening tools to SK students.
“We’ve had this partnership for a while, and we’ve enjoyed the partnership with the Lion’s Club. We enjoy the co-operation we’ve gotten from the participating school boards and schools.
SK vision screening was offered at schools within the Bluewater District School Board and Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board, as well as at L’Ecole Elementaire Catholique Saint-Dominque Savio, and Kikendaasogamig Elementary School (Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation).
The goal of the program is to achieve optimal visual health for school-aged children. The program operates through partnering with community organizations and school boards to provide in-school vision screening; raising awareness of the recommendation of at least one comprehensive eye exam before age 5 by a registered optometrist, and promoting early interventions where needed.