Vision for Progress

Blueprint for Progress

K. Johnson

Kaplan University

CM 220 Section 58

8/14/2012

Unit 6 Project: Blueprint for Progress

Poor vision is a contributing factor for children with below standard grades. Studies have shown that delinquent children often suffer from poor vision as well. Screening is limited within the public school system. Often times, the parents do not even know that their child has vision problems. They often cannot see the work in front of them, and will either give up, or act out. Studies have shown that when the vision problem is corrected, their grades improve. What makes this such a difficult problem to deal with, is finding a solution that gives every child the opportunity to get prescription glasses, regardless of the parents ability to pay.

Parents are often shocked when they take their child to an optometrist’s office. Although the vision exam can be pricey, as well as the prescription lenses, the frame is where the biggest portion of the expense lies. Parents often do no state that they cannot afford the high price of glasses. They ask the doctor if the child has to wear glasses, or if perhaps there is another solution. Unfortunately there are optometrists who will give any alternative therapy, rather than try to find a way to get the child glasses.

Although vision therapy is recommended by optometrists as an alternative to glasses, it is not an agreed upon method for dealing with all vision problems. Many optometrists will suggest vision therapy to underperforming students with vision problems when the question “Do they have to wear glasses?” is posed to them. The cost of such vision therapy programs can be staggering. The doctors cannot answer the question of how many sessions of treatment the child will need, because they do not know if vision therapy will have positive results. The results are not guaranteed, and there is no known pattern of success There have not been enough clinical trials to...