A child with a dental problem is likely to complain about pain in their jaw or teeth. The child only knows that they are not able to do things that other children can do. The child may compensate for the vision problem by avoiding tasks that require good vision, such as, reading and writing. A child with a vision problem looks a lot like a child with a reading problem, or a self esteem problem. Now comes the tragic part, there are millions of children who suffer from undetected vision problems.
Lets look at a few facts.
Vision disorders are the fourth most common disability in the United States and the most prevalent handicapping condition in childhood. Viewing this number in the context of US Census data means that as many as 8 to 12 million school age children are at risk from undetected vision impairments. A 1997 study, funded in part by a grant from AFVA, examined 59 children living in inner city public housing. Of the 59 children examined 51 failed at least 1 subtest of the New York State Optometric Vision Screening Battery. 42 of the children failed at least 2 subtests.