Connecticut Lions’ vision screenings of 41,224 pre-school children have uncovered 4,888 vision issues, many that threaten the child’s sight. The Lions plan to screen every child in Connecticut between the ages of six months and six years. “This program could help thousands of Connecticut children see and perform better in school,” said Daniel Uitti in a press release. Uitti is one of three chairmen of Kidsight USA in Connecticut, a Lions program to provide free eye screenings to young children. Eye screenings for children as young as 6 months are now possible with camera-like devices that take highly accurate measurements of a child’s eyes in seconds. The child sees and hears digital birds chirping while the camera does its job. Most parents of pre-school children do not suspect that anything may be wrong with their child’s vision. Young children lack the ability to articulate a vision problem, and routine pediatric exams rarely detect serious eye conditions. Experts estimate that as many as 5 percent of children have amblyopia — commonly known as “lazy eye.” At an early age, the child’s brain is learning to use his or her developing eyes. If one of the child’s eyes shows a blurry image, […]
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