Did You Know:
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- One in four school children has vision impairment significant enough to affect learning.
- The way a child learns is 80% visual, and 75% auditory.
- Vision and hearing screening programs that use state-of-the-art equipment like ourshave a much higher rate of identifying problems then basic eye and ear tests.
The MEDARVA Vision & Hearing Screening Program is an educational program, with a screening component, providing free state-of-the-art vision and hearing screenings to children about to enter kindergarten.
MEDARVA Healthcare, the parent company of Stony Point Surgery Center, has been involved with vision and hearing screening programs for more than five years. We launched our own pre-K screening program after recognizing that 25% of pre-K students do not pass either the vision or hearing portion of the screening.
Free vision and hearing screenings are currently available for scheduling in the cities of Richmond and its surround counties, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg. If your preschool is interested in having a screening for its students, or wants to learn more about preschool vision and hearing, please contact us either by phone: 804-545-0294, or email [email protected].
Please visit our www.visionhearingscreen.com to learn more.
About the Program:
Our research shows that children only know what they have experienced and therefore, fuzzy letters, words or even faces may not seem strange to them, because that’s all they know. Finding and addressing eye problems such as, blurry vision, Amblyopia (lazy eye) and Strabismus (crossed eyes) at an early age may have a significant impact on improving a child’s success in school and can often be treated effectively with early detection.
Screenings are conducted by hearing and vision specialists. Results are provided at the time of the screening, along with guidance for referral options should they be needed.
The screenings are non-invasive and take only a few minutes per child to complete. We are proud to be using the Plusoptix Mobile Screener, which has a proven accuracy in detecting vision problems. Plusoptix is the world leader in objective vision screening devices, and is currently being used in more than 50 countries! Hearing screenings are done using a proprietary hearing screener that was researched, built/developed and tested by MEDARVA. The device is also considered state-of-the-art equipment with proven accuracy to detect potential hearing issues.
Future Signs To Be On The Lookout For
The MEDARVA Pre-K Vision & Hearing Program is proud to partner with OneSight.
Because vision may change frequently during the school years, regular eye care is important. Over the years, you and your child’s teachers should watch for clues that your child’s vision is changing, some of them may be subtle. A child may not tell you that he or she has a vision problem because they may think the way they see is the way everyone sees.
Signs that may indicate a child has vision problem include:
- Frequent eye rubbing or blinking
- Short attention span
- Avoiding reading and other close activities
- Frequent headaches
- Covering one eye
- Tilting the head to one side
- Holding reading materials close to the face
- An eye turning in or out
- Seeing double
- Losing place when reading
- Difficulty remembering what he or she read
- Attempt to do work, but with a lower level of comprehension
- Experience discomfort, fatigue and a short attention span
All of these are just examples and there are other things that an eye care professional may discuss with you as your child grows.
A child’s behavior in the classroom may indicate the possibility of a hearing loss. The child may be inattentive, may ask for frequent repetitions,
or his/her achievement may be low. The observation of such behavior will assist in identifying children in need of help and indicate the need to assess
hearing levels.
The important fact to remember is that on-going vision and hearing screening by healthcare professionals is important. Growing children constantly use their eyes and ears, both at play and in the classroom. Early detection of vision or hearing problems increases each child’s opportunity for academic and social success!
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