Back to school warning for parents

Media Statement
For Immediate Release
23 February 2009

Back to school warning for parents

See Here is warning parents that B4School vision screenings are not effectively picking up vision problems.

There is evidence that the vision component of the B4 School Check does not identify all vision problems. It will detect distance vision issues but children with other kinds of problems with their vision won’t be picked up by the screening.

For example, children with difficulties seeing things close to them will not be picked up in the B4 School Check. This kind of vision problem is most strongly linked with reduced educational achievement, particularly as it relates to learning to read. Internationally, research indicates children with near vision problems may have to eye strain, causing headaches, fatigue and blurred vision among those children.

The B4 School Check is a free health and development check for four year olds. This new check is being rolled out nationwide and replaces vision and hearing screening which was done with preschool and new entrant children. Information for parents and educators states that it “aims to identify issues that may affect a child’s learning and to have these addressed by the time the child reaches school”.

See Here wants parents to be informed about the limitations of the B4 School Check so they can take their child for an assessment with an eye professional should they have concerns about their child’s vision.

Research by Linwood College in Christchurch, where a complete medical assessment was completed on 450 Year 9 and 10 students, showed 40.5% of children were referred to an optometrist. Of those who attended about 47% needed glasses and a further 13% needed some other intervention to assist their vision.

Most of these children would have had their distance vision screened as preschoolers, new entrants and in Year 7, yet a significant number of these children had undiagnosed problems in Year 9 and 10 which were not picked up by their vision screening check.

Crucially, the academic results of students participating in the programme at Linwood College have now been analysed 12 months later and have been compared with national averages compiled by the Ministry of Education. Not only does the data show greater improvements in reading and mathematics than would be expected, but children who received a health intervention or were enrolled in the literacy programme were less likely to be referred for classroom disruption.

Janet Digby, Project Manager of See Here says the quality of the B4 School Checks is also at risk because of there is no longer any national training or monitoring for Vision Hearing Technicians who do the vision screening.

“The cost of addressing these issues is much smaller than the cost of having our children fail in the school system because they have vision problems. Many children with undiagnosed vision problems end up draining the resources of the Reading Recovery programmes and are labelled as having behaviour problems when the real issue is they can’t see properly.

“There is deep concern among those working with children with vision impairment that the Government is failing to address these problems to allow cost effective and easy intervention.

“At a time when the Government is talking about having good health outcomes for children across the country (John Key, TV3, 2 February), this seems like one very easy and effective way to make sure our nation’s children have a better chance for the future.” Janet Digby says.

See Here

See Here was established by the J R McKenzie Trust to focus on the needs of the large number of New Zealand children with mild and moderate vision impairment.

Approximately 10-20% of New Zealand children have a vision impairment, including those who need glasses to correct their vision problem.

Children with mild and moderate vision impairment and their families are not getting the support they need because of problems with vision screening services, poor parent and educator information and limited access to assessment and intervention services.

ENDS

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