Vision for Sight
Posted on: April 22, 2014Chicago
This post was written by CHC member Lizelle Salazar.
Liz serves at Illinois Eye Institute at CPS Princeton School as a Vision Promoter.
When I was in Kindergarten, I failed my vision screening. I remember seeing in my cubby this neon colored paper stating that I should receive an eye exam. I also remember stuffing and crumpling that neon colored paper at the bottom of my backpack, because I didn't think I needed glasses. I spent the next two years sitting close to the television screen watching cartoons and standing up to get closer to the classroom board so I could copy down the problems. Finally, in 2nd grade, my teacher talked to my parents during parent-teacher conferences and recommended that I get my eyes checked.
The Princeton Vision Clinic, where I serve as a Chicago Health Corps member, is open to all Chicagoland students and provides comprehensive eye exams and glasses at no cost. Most patients seen at the clinic were recommended, just like me, to get their eyes checked. Around 70% of patients seen at the clinic need eyeglasses and around 20% of patients are diagnosed with an eye condition that impacts their learning. Uncorrected low vision, eye conditions, and eye disorders not only affect students in the classroom, they affect them recreationally too. With this vision program, students have the opportunity to receive glasses that can help them improve their classroom performance, hand-eye coordination during sports, and self-esteem.
I am so thankful to be part of these vision services, because it makes my service more meaningful to help students just like my Kindergarten self. Vision is a tricky health problem because only you can tell what you see and unlike other health problems the change is gradual. Many students may feel like it is normal to be blurry or have words swim around the page, and they don't realize others don't see that way through their eyes. It's been an amazing experience to help those students who don't know they have a problem and to show them what it's like when it can be corrected. Last school year, the clinic was able to examine over 7,000 students, with hopes that we can give care to 7,000 more students this school year.