Important Information For Vision Screening Programs
Eye Disease Descriptions
- Blindness often occurs after a gradual loss of vision that is not detected until the vision loss is permanent.
- Glaucoma: High pressure in the eye pushes against the optic nerve, which permanently damages it. This causes loss of peripheral vision and eventually leads to complete blindness. Glaucoma can be treated with eye drops or by surgery, if necessary.
- Cataracts: The lens in the eye is oxidized, building a layer of cells that prevent light from properly entering the eye. Very common cause of blindness in people over 55.
- Macular Degeneration: Oxidation of the macula at the back of the eye, which causes permanent central blindness. Possibility of being treated, but only if detected early. Wearing sunglasses can protect against macular degeneration
- Diabetic retinopathy: Common disease among diabetics. The blood vessels in the back of the eye become weak and burst.
- Amblyopia: Common eye disease among children, with 500,000 children becoming blind in one eye each year. One eye is weaker than the other, and the brain therefore does not network properly to the weak eye. If the disease is not treated by the age of 5, the child is never able to see properly out of that eye. Can be treated by an eye doctor if detected by the age of 5. Treatment includes an eye patch, eye drops, or glasses.
Unite For Sight Visual Acuity Screening Procedure
- You must NEVER say that you are providing an "eye exam." Instead, you must state that you are a student providing a "visual acuity screening." You are not examining, diagnosing, or providing any medical test or procedure. Visual acuity screenings are not diagnostic and cannot substitute for a comprehensive eye exam. Therefore, everyone that you encounter at a community center must be linked with a free health coverage program so that they can receive a complete eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
- At the vision screening, you will first ask each person to complete the Background Information form (included in this manual). This form will give you the following information: the person's age, whether or not they have been diagnosed with diabetes, the year of their last eye exam, and other pertinent information for matching them with a free health coverage program. No identifying information such as name or contact information should be written on this form.
- Provide the visual acuity screening.
- Most importantly, you provide each person (even those with 20/20 vision) with information about every free health coverage program for which they qualify. Each program's specifications are included in this manual and also listed below.
- You should bring a phonebook with you so that community members can schedule an appointment with a local eye doctor. You should encourage the person to use your cell phone (or their own cell phone) to schedule an eye doctor's appointment. This ensures that they will not forget to schedule an appointment.