A Clear Future In Sight For Children
Identifying eye problems early on in a child’s life is vital to their learning and development.
A child with poor vision may have difficulty seeing text and understanding words. No parent wants their child to be frustrated when reading, especially when most vision problems are easily corrected with glasses.
Link HC is partnering with the State Schools’ Relief and Melbourne University’s Optometry and Vision Sciences department as part of the Glasses for Kids project.
This inspirational project provides free vision screening from Prep to Year 3 students for 21 selected primary schools in Victoria, including 12 in the Gippsland Region, to identify and treat vision problems early on in a child’s life.
Over 1460 children have been eligible for screening and/or testing as part of this program who otherwise may not have been able to access this important service.
Children who have difficulties seeing often do not report any problems, assuming that everyone sees the world in the same way they do.
Read the heartwarming story below of a child who has seen his teacher for the first time, thanks to this program!
An incredibly sweet six-year-old non-verbal boy who has hearing and mobility issues, had his eye sight tested as part of Link HC’s involvement in the Glasses for Kids project.
Through the screening it was discovered that he was very short sighted. He couldn’t see more than approximately 20cm in front of his face.
He was rocking back and forth throughout the tests, so some trial lenses were placed before his eyes and suddenly he stopped moving.
Slowly a huge smile came across his face and he started making little laughing noises.
I think that’s the first time he’s seen his teacher’s face, it still gets to me every time, says Daniel Gerasimou, the Optometrist who delivered testing as part of this project.
To learn more about Link HC’s involvement, please email sphillips@linkhc.org.au
