Following a successful launch in Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board (BGCDSB) schools in the fall of 2022, Grey Bruce Public Health, in collaboration with Lions Club volunteers, will begin conducting publicly funded vision screenings at Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) schools beginning in March 2023.

In a March 20 media release, the program involves Senior Kindergarten (SK) students completing three simple, non-invasive tests, designed to help identify the most common vision impairments in young children. Overseen by Public Health, trained volunteers with District A-9 of Lions Club International will conduct the tests.

“Thanks to our partnerships with the local Lions Club and Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board, we were able to successfully screen senior kindergarten students at all 10 Catholic Board elementary schools this fall,” said Chimere Okoronkwo, Senior Public Health Manager at Grey Bruce Public Health.

The program will bring the service to nearly 1,300 SK students between the last week in March and the middle of May.

Letters to parents and guardians will be sent home with SK students prior to the clinic dates at their school.

The screening, which will take place during the school day, helps to identify vision impairments such as Amblyopia (sometimes called “lazy eye”), Reduced Stereopsis (inability to recognize depth), Strabismus (more commonly known as “eye turn”), and Refractive Vision Disorder (such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism).

About 80% of what a child learns in school is information that is presented visually, according to the Canadian Association of Optometrists. However, vision problems may go undetected in early childhood because children cannot always recognize that they have vision problems, the release said.

Early identification and treatment of vision conditions that can have few or no visible symptoms can play a significant role in healthy childhood development.

Screening results will be sent home with students in a letter that also encourages families to contact an optometrist about booking a routine, comprehensive eye examination for their child.

The release went on to say that the vision screening is not meant to replace annual comprehensive eye exams with an optometrist and is not designed to detect all vision problems.