Blurry to seeing clear

We all remember standing behind a line, covering one eye, and reading off random letters from a paper chart posted on the wall 20 ft in front of us.

However, there is a cluster of students who have not experienced this for two to three years and maybe failing to see at 20/20 vision. The school nurse, Sharon Larson, explains that in normal years the district tests grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. However, due to quarantine, safety precautions, and lack of volunteers, vision testing has only occurred in grades 1 and 3. These grades do have the majority of flagged screenings. Larson then rescreens these students, and if they fail again “will send home a referral suggesting they get their eyes checked by a professional,” she said.

However, these grades are not the only ones with students who struggle to see. According to the article “Myopia: Nearsightedness,” our eyeballs do not stop growing until we are 20; therefore, it is common for students to develop nearsightedness as they age. “We have a Snellen chart and the eye cover to test any student,” Larson said. Larson wants to help spread the awareness that any student can come in at any time to check their vision if they think they may be struggling to see before having to make an appointment with a professional.

Larson also wants to share that she is still looking for volunteers willing to screen. “We do a small training on how to screen, and they can make comments about if the student struggled,” Larson said. This job may be easy, but it holds great importance to students and their health.