2016 Winter Five Star Journal

Vision Screening
by the previous standard (chart method)
school vision screenings.
The Five Star District provides vision
screenings for nearly 22,000 students a year.
District nurses saw significant gaps in the vision
screenings and identified the need for
improvement. After ample research, it became
apparent that Five Star Schools was
one of the only districts in the area still using
the standard chart method.
ities and answered questions like never before
with a newfound confidence. Watching a
new world open up for this student brought
tears to our eyes as teachers.”
Previous vision screenings took students
out of class for more than 30 minutes at a
time and they had to be tested three times
before the student was referred to an eye
Like the district’s registered nurses, the Five
Star Education Foundation recognized the
advantages of purchasing a better screening
tool and committed to provide funding. The
School Medicaid office supplied the remaining
funds necessary to make the purchase a
reality.
In only the first few months of use, the
screener is already making huge strides in
early intervention and noticeable advancements
in student learning.
Sally Hull, an early childhood teacher aide,
recalls a four-year-old preschooler from
Coronado Hills Elementary last year who
was not engaged during class and seemed
very shy. After being identified as having vision
concerns through the Plusoptix vision
screener, the student received new glasses.
“He immediately noticed patterns on the
carpet that he never knew were there before
because he couldn’t see them,” Hull said. “He
paid attention, participated in group activ-
The new Plusoptix vision screener produces a full report of the child’s
vision in three seconds.
doctor. Even then, the screening only tested
for acuity - can they see the board - and
didn’t provide a full report on why the child
should see the doctor.
Parents at our Title I schools often didn’t
see the value and didn’t take the child for a
full comprehensive exam because of a number
of barriers. Now, the Plusoptix vision
screener detects so much more and provides
a full report in less than 10 minutes. Students
no longer miss extensive class time and, if
referred to an eye doctor, parents are given a
full report on why.
page 32 | Winter 2016