Parent, Teacher, and Student Perspectives on How Corrective Lenses Improve Child Wellbeing and School Function

Abstract

Objectives Up to 20% of school-age children have a vision problem identifiable by screening, over 80% of which can be corrected with glasses. While vision problems are associated with poor school performance, few studies describe whether and how corrective lenses affect academic achievement and health. Further, there are virtually no studies exploring how children with correctable visual deficits, their parents, and teachers perceive the connection between vision care and school function. Methods We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Vision to Learn (VTL), a school-based program providing free corrective lenses to low-income students in Los Angeles. Nine focus groups with students, parents, and teachers from three schools served by VTL explored the relationships between poor vision, receipt of corrective lenses, and school performance and health. Results Twenty parents, 25 teachers, and 21 students from three elementary schools participated. Participants described how uncorrected visual deficits reduced students’ focus, perseverance, and class participation, affecting academic functioning and psychosocial stress; how receiving corrective lenses improved classroom attention, task persistence, and willingness to practice academic skills; and how serving students in school rather than in clinics increased both access to and use of corrective lenses. Conclusions for Practice Corrective lenses may positively impact families, teachers, and students coping with visual deficits by improving school function and psychosocial wellbeing. Practices that increase ownership and use of glasses, such as serving students in school, may significantly improve both child health and academic performance.

Increasing Screening Follow-Up for Vulnerable Children: A Partnership with School Nurses

“…Students reported better attention, fewer headaches, and feeling of wellbeing, and adults stated that provision of free services in schools removed financial and psychological barriers to students receiving corrective lenses [5]. …”

Teachers' influence on purchase and wear of children's glasses in rural China: The PRICE study

“…Little information, however, exists on the impact of teacher knowledge and attitudes towards glasses wear on student wear of spectacles in the more typical situation where teachers are not actively being asked to promote wear, as in the current study. Other studies have attempted to elucidate teacher and parent attitudes towards children's wear of glasses in China and elsewhere, though without examining the impact of these attitudes on actual wear. Our finding in the current study that the recommendation of teachers significantly influenced acceptance of free glasses, even when adjusting for child/family factors, suggests that teachers play an important role in determining the behaviour of children and families in this setting, even outside of teacher incentive programs.…”

Neural Activation During Visual Attention Differs in Individuals with High versus Low Macular Pigment Density

“…Even subtle sensory issues, such as uncorrected refractive errors or hearing loss are often linked to problems with academic performance (e.g., ref. []).…”