Vision Disability Number One Health Issue in Schools

Photo Courtesy of kidexam

According to a new report, vision disability is the number one health issue in schools.  Florida's VisionQuest found that at least 43% of the school population required eye glasses.  This number is high and scary given how many children might be suffering with poor grades due to their inability to see properly.  Earning good grades could affect a child's self-esteem and more.  VisionQuest is a non-profit started by Nancy Jeppesen in 1994 to help this unmet need.

"The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that vision disability is the single most prevalent disabling condition among children. Approximately 80 percent(1) of what children learn in their early school years is visual, so if they can't see a teacher's writing on the blackboard, they will struggle. 

Today, of all school-age children across America, 25 percent suffer from a vision problem,(2) that is 12.5 million children who may be unable to see the blackboard or read their textbooks.  Research shows that of the children in the 9 to 15 year-old age group only 10 percent of those who needed glasses actually had them.(3)"

To read the entire article, click here on VisionQuest.