Introduction

Vision is arguably one of our most important sensory faculties. Indeed, many of us forget how much information we process on a daily basis through purely visual interfaces. However, current statistics show that one in four school-aged children has a vision problem, only 14% of United States children receive comprehensive vision examinations before entering school, and 80% of all global blindness is preventable. Blindness among children is caused by many preventable or treatable eye diseases, including amblyopia, vitamin A deficiency, trachoma, river blindness, and conjunctivitis.

There are many reasons why we fail to detect and diagnose vision problems in school children. Most commonly, the children themselves are unaware that there is a problem. Parents often miss the signs that there may be a vision problem in their child, or they are falsely assured by cursory physical examinations that their child’s vision is acceptable.

Regular eye exams and vision screenings are essential for both children and adults. Unite For Sight developed this website to provide information to parents about the prevention of blindness and vision problems.