Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed August, 2023 as Children's Vision and Learning Month. "It is a time for parents, educators, and school nurses to take the necessary steps to ensure Washington's children have good vision" You can help too.

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It all started in the Yakima Valley

In 2010-2013 the Yakima Valley of Washington State was ablaze with concerns due to the lack of access to vision screenings, eye exams, eyeglasses, and treatment for vision issues impacting children.

This concern was especially expressed in the area’s Native American and migrant communities.

In 2014, the first Educating Young Eyes (EYE) symposium convened at the University of Washington Bothell and was attended by teachers, school nurses, attorneys, Washington State Supreme Court judges, politicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and concerned citizens across our State representing a wide range of diverse communities. The goal was to understand the issues and explore what could be done next. Another symposium occurred in 2016 and then again in 2019.

Just before the pandemic the EYE Research Group at the University of Washington Bothell received a grant to build a mobile vision clinic to serve the vision needs of WA State children. Due to the pandemic it took longer to construct our mobile clinic than anticipated, and we operated our first mobile clinic events in the 2022-2023 school year. Near Vision Institute was founded to operate the mobile clinic and provide the clinical care.

We have visited diverse communities across Washington State.

Twenty-five percent of school children have vision issues that impact learning according to Washington Board of Health. Vision issues may include high refractive errors, amblyopia, strabismus, ocular health, and near vision dysfunctions such as convergence insufficiency. Ideally, the first four categories are identified early in the birth to five age through regular well-child pediatric visits and eye exam referrals. School vision screenings can function as a backup if vision issues are missed early on.

The last category - near vision dysfunction - generally emerges as a child encounters the extensive vision demands of academics. School screening should be sensitive for this condition. Furthermore, an effective screening should be connected to an established and evidence based intervention.

Near vision dysfunction is not only a problem for students. Increasingly, jobs require a full day's work staring at a computer screen at near distances. Worker productivity is negatively impacted by near vision dysfunctions.

Research supported by the EYE Research Group in collaboration with Near Vision Institute revolves around questions concerning near vision function, and effective treatment protocols that are accessible and economical. Such research must be applied and proven within communities of need. Thus, it is essential that the EYE See Clinic provides services to children in order to measure results and iteratively improve systems of screenings, evaluations, and interventions.

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