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Kids' Vision by the Numbers

By Tara Rosenzweig

Several vision organizations recently released studies related to children's vision and eyecare, revealing some interesting statistics:

For instance, according to a national survey by VSP Vision Care and Prevent Blindess America released in August:

■ One in four six- to 11-year-olds wears prescription glasses.
■ Almost two-thirds of children under age six have never had an eye exam by an eye doctor.

LOW "EYE-Q?"

The American Optometric Association's (AOA) 2009 Eye-Q survey found that:

■ One in four children in the U.S. has an undetected vision problem.
■ 58 percent of children do not receive their first eye exam until the age of three or older
■ 88 percent of Eye-Q survey respondents did not realize that one in four kids has a visual impairment.
■ Parents are not aware of many warning signs that could indicate an eye or vision impairment, such as:

35 percent unaware: Behavior problems
31 percent unaware: Using a finger to follow along while reading
57 percent unaware: Poor academic performance

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

New research by the National Committee on Vision and Health (NCVH) revealed:

■ One-quarter of school-age children suffer from vision problems that could have been addressed or eliminated if proper eye assessment programs and follow-up care had taken place when they started school.
■ In one-third of children with vision problems, screenings missed finding vision conditions.

THE VISION-LEARNING LINK

Both the AOA and VSP/PBA surveys found important links between vision and learning:

■ More than one in five 12- to 17-year-olds have difficulty seeing the classroom chalkboard, although 45 percent in this age group wear some type of prescription eyewear, according to VSP/PBA.
■ Studies indicate 60 percent of children identified as "problem learners" actually suffer from undetected vision problems and in some cases have been inaccurately diagnosed with ADHD, reports the AOA.
■ Many experts believe that 80 percent of learning comes through vision, notes that AOA.

UV EXPOSURE

According to Transitions Optical:

■ The average child receives three times the annual UV exposure of an adult.
■ The lens of the eye of a child under age 10 allows more than six times the amount of UV radiation to penetrate than an adult eye.