Considerations when building a school-based vision program

By Chenchen Shi, Department of Theatre Pedagogy, The Central Academy of Drama, China

Pediatric vision care continues to be an unmet need in the United States, leading to disparities in access to these crucial services. Serving as an evidence-based intervention to advance health equity, school-based vision programs (SBVPs) aim to offer vision care services directly within the school setting. By forging partnerships between schools and eye care providers, SBVPs have demonstrated their ability to make a substantial impact on children's lives, including improving academic performance and facilitating the use of eyeglasses, particularly among urban minority populations.

Despite the proven effectiveness of SBVPs, there is currently a lack of resources and comprehensive guides to assist school nurses, administrators, eye care providers, and other stakeholders in establishing and operating SBVPs. Megan Collins and her team published an article in the Journal of School Nursing, which provided practical considerations relevant to the building or strengthening of existing SBVPs.

During the program planning phase, it is essential to prioritize needs analysis, strategic partnerships, and securing adequate funding. During program implementation, components such as personnel, consent for vision exams, vision screening, eye exams, dispensing, monitoring, and replacing eyeglasses, and how to charge for exams should be fully considered. For sustainability, stakeholders need to consider data management, tracking and quality assurance.

In conclusion, this article points out that SBVPs require a strong partnership between school health staff, teachers, and vision care providers in each phase. Due to school nurses’ strong ties to school health care services and the school community, they are especially positioned to build SBVPs.