Poor eyesight was discovered to be one of the major factors affecting the academic learning of primary school pupils.
One of the top providers of health services at school, Medifield Healthcare Limited, conducted a screening exercise for more than 2,000 pupils in primary schools and found out that vision problems have great effects on the pupils' academic performance. The test was conducted for two academic sessions. The academic performance of the pupils was monitored before and after the vision screening exercises, This Day Live reported.
The biggest part of learning (95 per cent) comes from the eyes. The ability to see well is a critical factor in knowing the performance of a pupil at school. There are lots of evidence showing that vision problems among pupils require medical intervention, such as the recommendation of a pair of reading glasses.
Pupils with myopic vision are having trouble in reading the noted written on the board while pupils with hyperopic problems are having issues in doing close work or even reading. Not only these, there are more types of eye disorders that can lead to permanent impairment of vision if not treated and identified early. So, early detection poses a big impact in the academic performance of youngsters.
The Senate Bill 402 is a bill passed that would require all young children to receive a comprehensive eye check before they begin going to school then the same checkup would be required every two years after. Even with the current school vision screening processes, many students still slip through the cracks.
The current screening system assesses basic eye issues like color deficiency, farsightedness, and nearsightedness. However, this is not as comprehensive as how it should be. Study reveals that these examinations misses one of three children with eye problems. The eye checks should also include tests that deals with other potential eye issues that affects reading. Examples of such problems include binocular vision deficiencies and other more serious eye diseases, The San Diego Union Tribune reported.
