Lions L.E.A.D. Weekend 2014 content; Learn more about Saving Sight's KidSight vision screening program.

1. KidSight Vision Screening Program

2. The Facts: Kids & Vision
• One out of 4 American children has an uncorrected vision
problem
• More than 10 million children suffer from vision problems that
may cause them to fail in school
• 80 percent of all learning during a child’s first 12 years is
obtained through vision
• 48% of parents with children under 12 have never taken their
child to an eye care professional
• Research indicates that among the 20 percent of school age
children who have a learning disability in reading, 70 percent of
them have some form of visual impairment, such as ocular
motor, perception or binocular dysfunction which may be
interfering with their reading skills.
*Statistics courtesy Vision Council of America; Journal of Behavior Optometry; The Journal of
American Optometric Association

3. History of KidSight
• 1994: Vision screening program was established as a pilot
in the St. Louis area as a collaboration with St. Louis
Children’s Hospital and local Lions clubs.
• 1998: Thanks to funding from an LCI Core 4 grant, the
program expands throughout MO
• 2004: Program screens over 10,00 children since
inception
• 2008: Program technology is upgraded from MTI camera
to PlusOptix vision screener- providing immediate
screening results to parents
• 2013: Program screens over 300,000 children since
inception

4. What is Amblyopia?
• Commonly referred to as “lazy eye”
• Reduced vision because the eyes and brain are
not working together properly
• Can be caused by misalignment of the eyes or
because of a difference in visual quality between
the eyes

5. Vision Screening Equipment
• PlusOptix vision screener provides an
immediate pass/refer result
• Non-invasive screening takes only seconds-
ideal for young children
• Increased portability for travel to and from
daycares throughout Missouri

6. Scheduling Vision Screenings
• Screenings are conducted free of charge
throughout all of Missouri
• Currently screening about 45,000 children
annually, referring approx. 3,500
• Saving Sight vision screening technicians and
Lion volunteers outreach to communities to
identify daycares, preschools and other venues
for screenings

7. Vision Screening Results
• Immediate results are available to parents
and daycare staff
• Parents are encouraged to visit an eye care
professional
• KidSight staff are available to help connect
parents to care and answer any questions
they might have about seeking out post-
screening care

8. Volunteering With KidSight
• Lions club volunteers play a key piece in connecting
KidSight to local communities
• Visit www.saving-sight.org/lions to view volunteer
opportunities
• At KidSight screenings, volunteers can help by:
• Assisting with set up, paperwork, and ushering children to
and from the screening area
• Encouraging parents to participate and/or sharing
information about the KidSight program at public screening
events
• Finally, volunteers can help by collaborating with their local
vision screening technician to identify new screening
opportunities

9. New Initiatives
• Funding from Express Scripts to pilot a Healthy Vision
Day initiative at daycares
• Engaging daycare workers, directors and families in the
importance of early vision care
• Funding from Missouri Foundation for Health to
improve follow up portion of program