Flint Energy Awards Grant to Vision Screen Children
Atlanta, GA (Jan. 26, 2012) – Prevent Blindness Georgia, a statewide nonprofit vision organization, was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $4,830 by the Flint Energy Foundation that will enable certified vision screeners to deliver the Star Pupils vision screening program in the Flint Energy coverage area over a two year period. The monies will be used to vision screen a total of 690 prekindergarten students during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. The screenings identify children who are at risk for amblyopia or “lazy eye” blindness so that they can receive the treatment they need to develop normal vision.
The Flint Energy Foundation, which offers opportunities for non profit organizations to apply for grants every two years, provided funding for 760 four year old children to be vision screened in 2009. One hundred and sixty of these children were referred to an eye care professional for further evaluation.
Prevent Blindness Georgia vision screened 33,143 prekindergarten children in the state during the 2009-2010 school year, including 2,111 in the counties served by Flint Energy - Bibb, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Muscogee, Peach, Sumter, Twiggs, and Upson. A total of 7.6 percent of the children screened were referred to an eye doctor for further evaluation and treatment.
Prevent Blindness Georgia will screen 35,000 or more four year olds across the state this school year. Children who experience trouble in school are sometimes diagnosed as having learning difficulties or behavioral problems when they actually suffer from poor vision. Research shows that one in five school-age children has a notable visual impairment. Since 80 percent of what a child learns is visual, good eyesight is essential for learning.
Pain is usually not associated with poor vision so many young children do not realize they are not seeing as they should and vision problems go undetected. For some children, this results in permanent loss of sight. Recognizing that vision problems are the number one handicap of childhood, Prevent Blindness Georgia began vision screening young children in the 1950s and continues to grow the program geographically as funding permits.
Prevent Blindness Georgia vision screens four year olds at lottery-funded prekindergarten classes, childcare centers and other preschools across the state. Our certified staff and volunteers conduct a three-part screening with each child which includes observation, a visual acuity test on each eye, and a stereopsis test to ensure that the child’s eyes are working together properly.
Parents are informed about the results of their child's vision screening which is provided at no cost to the school or family. Donors including individuals and foundations like Flint Energy support the screening program. The goal is to track each child who fails the vision screening until a diagnosis is made and to assist each family in finding resources for care.
For more information about the Prevent Blindness Georgia Star Pupils vision screening program, call 404-266-2020 or visit www.pbga.org.
Pictured with the award for Prevent Blindness Georgia are Flint Energy Foundation board members with Jane Walker, a Prevent Blindness Georgia certified vision screener who screens children in the Bibb County area.
About Prevent Blindness Georgia
Dedicated to eliminating preventable blindness, Prevent Blindness Georgia was founded in 1965 as the state affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization. With a focus on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness Georgia touches the lives of thousands of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, and community and patient service programs. To donate to the good work of Prevent Blindness Georgia, visit www.pbga.org or call 404-266-2020.