Views on Vision By Dr. Charles A. Boulet ~ FSD 38 Leads the Way

The Foothills School Division is applauded for putting a priority on vision care.

For easy math, let's say 10,000 students are enrolled in Foothills School Division No. 38 schools. Of those, we can assume that somewhere around 25%, or 2500 of them will have some sort of mild to severe problem with vision that is standing in the way of their learning. Of the 2500, only about 15%, or 375 will ever have a vision exam before it's 'too late' academically speaking – mid-Jr. High. Vision, being the 'highway' of the classroom, must be in proper working order from day 1 if a student is to learn unimpeded. Still, most kids with visual problems suffer with them throughout their school years, suffer also with medical concerns and even change life plans as a consequence.
The problem is that parents don't know that checking vision is so important in clearing the path to learning. Who would? Vision is so obvious, it's easy to miss. Vision problems are also 'invisible', mostly because people simply don't know what to look for – vision is more about how it feels and how this causes people to behave, than simply how things 'look'. Parents and teachers are not yet aware of the critical need to have their children's vision assessed and properly managed early to remove obstacles. This is primarily why I write these articles - and the message is always the same: Good management of vision means lower costs to taxpayers and less misery for families and school due to troubled learning.
Prevention is the key and so family doctors, community nurses and teachers all have a role to play in encouraging parents to do this simple and basic thing to help avoid catastrophe. Soon, we will, as a community, wonder how we ever let children suffer with vision problems for lack of a simple look-see. It will be as common as vaccinations – just bring them in before Grade 1, save everyone some grief and save us all millions in needless healthcare and education costs.
For now, we applaud the leaders; those who are taking active steps to move this dialog forward and get the job done in the name of kindness, common sense and good education. FSD No. 38 with recent initiatives has shown itself to be just such a leader in prevention. These are simple internal actions to promote awareness among staff and recurring notifications to impress upon parents the importance of vision assessment. There, done. Simple steps to such great savings to us all, families and taxpayers alike. Total cost to implement such action plan: $0. Sounds like a hole-in-one.
Now, only 297 more Alberta school authorities to go.

Learn more about sight, vision, and learning disabilities at: ArchiesLaw.com

Dr. Boulet is a former teacher and now operates Diamond Valley Vision Care in Black Diamond where he continues to work with children with learning difficulties.
Call 403-933-5552.
www.dvvc.ca and www.LearningManagement.ca.