‘Children start kindergarten with undiagnosed vision loss’

Research conducted by Hardt Eye Clinic showed that one out of seven children start kindergarten with an undiagnosed vision problem that needs immediate treatment.

The clinic’s marketing director Agnes McGrath said Friday, their findings had prompted Hardt Eye Clinic to visit schools and discuss the situation with teachers and parents of students.

Healthy vision and educational success go hand-in-hand, said McGrath. She said the clinic is currently working with school administrators to stress the importance of eye care for their students.

Just a few weeks ago, William S. Reyes Elementary School principal Alfred Ada raised the issue of eye care for children during this month’s principal meeting.

He said Hardt Eye Clinic met with the school’s administration for a possible collaboration to help students be diagnosed.

“Hardt Eye shared the information with us,” he said. “The clinic is offering a vision screening for children.”

Ada also said that the clinic also discussed the reading program for children and that it provides incentives for children to read as part of the clinic’s community service.

Hardt Eye said the undiagnosed vision problems could lead to permanent vision loss and difficulty of learning in school.

Although Ada said schools on Saipan conduct their own vision screenings, Hardt Eye Clinic research discovered that vision screenings in schools and during well-care visits actually miss one in three children with a vision problem.

Don Hardt, vice president Hardt Eye Clinic, said 86 percent of children on the mainland have never received an eye exam from an eye doctor. He said he and his staff are concerned with the children who have difficulty learning because of vision-related problems.

“I love children,” he said and noted that when he was younger he had been active in handling and helping children in summer camps. Hardt said his compassion for children has also reached the islands.

The clinic is currently working on their outreach program to assist schoolchildren who may need eye care on the island of Rota.

He said families on Rota do not have the financial means to support their children’s eye check up and that they do not have the money to fly to Saipan for the said check up. With regards to financial capabilities, he said eye exams are covered 80 percent or more by most medical insurance, including Medicare, Moylan’s, Staywell, Pacifica, Tricare, Calvo’s and others. Medicaid he said covers eye exams 100 percent as well as the cost of the glasses.

Hardt said they would like to offer their services to teachers and parents to determine the best options available for a child with difficulty in learning due to poor vision.