Where Focus Comes First

Where Focus Comes First

BY EMILY STRICKLAND

Each year, poor eyesight adversely affects millions of U.S. children under age 6, due largely to lack of public awareness about the importance of eye care in youth and the inability of young children to recognize their own vision impairments. These problems are heightened in families suffering from financial hardship and lack of access to medical care.

UA students are scheduled to provide vision screenings to youth in more than 55 child care centers and schools throughout the fall as part of FocusFirst.

While vision screenings are most effective during the preschool years, when early treatment of many conditions can prevent irreversible vision damage or loss, only 21 percent of these children nationwide receive comprehensive vision screenings.

In Alabama, college students conduct vision screenings for children in pre-kindergarten programs and day cares as part of FocusFirst, a statewide, campus-based effort led by The University of Alabama and Impact America, a nonprofit housed at the University. FocusFirst partner Sight Savers America provides free follow-up care.

Thanks to these initiatives, Alabama leads the nation in addressing vision problems in young children.

University of Alabama work-study students are scheduled to provide vision screenings to youth in more than 55 child care centers and schools throughout the fall as part of FocusFirst. High-tech screening cameras that detect a wide range of vision problems, including poor vision and significant eye conditions, such as amblyopia or cataracts, are used by FocusFirst.

The UA students will screen approximately 1,500 children, ranging in ages from 6 months to 5 years, throughout this semester.

FocusFirst diagnosed Kaylynn, age 4, with amblyopia, a degenerative eye problem, after a screening at her day care. Kaylynn’s mother, Cacy, who wears glasses herself, was unaware of the severity of the problem until their visit to an eye doctor soon after.

“We took her to the doctor the very next week, and I was holding her, and she couldn’t see the big ‘E’ on the chart,” Cacy said. “She can see perfectly out of one eye, but cannot see hardly anything out of the other eye. If it’s not fixed, she can go permanently blind in that eye.”

After Kaylynn was diagnosed, her family began a treatment plan designed to stop the deterioration of her sight. It includes glasses, vision therapy and periodic use of an eye patch.

“We’re just extremely grateful for FocusFirst … ,” Cacy said. “If FocusFirst had not screened Kaylynn, I really don’t know when I would’ve taken her. I don’t think I would’ve realized that there was an issue.”

High-tech photos reveal vision impairments that often go unnoticed in young children.

In 2018, 35 students worked with FocusFirst through Health Action, which informs students about health disparities and provides opportunities for them to address these inequalities. Students learned that poor vision, when left untreated, can have negative consequences on children’s educational performance, self-esteem and behavior.

Since the launch of FocusFirst in 2004, 3,578 student volunteers have screened more than 409,000 children in all 67 counties across Alabama. FocusFirst regularly works with 10 colleges, and UA leads and coordinates the statewide screening efforts. Since 2004, more than 1,060 UA students have participated with FocusFirst, screening over 26,800 children in 14 counties. Sixty UA students participated in screenings across 12 counties during the 2017-18 academic year, reaching 2,890 children.

“There are two sides to FocusFirst,” said Stephen Black, director of the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility and founder of FocusFirst. “We wanted to figure out a way to make a positive impact on the community and also get college students involved. Many students take for granted the ability to see a doctor regularly.”

FocusFirst is a signature initiative of the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility and Impact America, a nonprofit housed at The University of Alabama that collaborates with more than 30 colleges and universities in four states to implement service-learning projects that engage students in addressing human and community needs while enhancing their sense of social and civic responsibility.

This article was adapted, with permission, from Service Learning, a magazine produced by the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility.