Download Hearing Vision

Dear Parents,
Hearing and Vision Screenings
are Completed for this
School Year
Students are sent a referral letter
for medical evaluation after failing
the screen on 2 separate
occasions.
If your child failed the vision or hearing
screen, you have been sent a referral
letter.
1.
2.
3.
Please have your child evaluated by your pediatrician
or eye specialist.
Have your doctor complete the referral form and return
this form to the school health clinic.
This information is sent to the state of Texas in the
form of annual screening reports.
Texas Required Eye Screen
The state of Texas requires children in
K, 1st,3rd and 5th grades to be
screened for vision and hearing
problems.
Determining Visual Problem
Visual acuity is the most
important measure used by
eye care professionals to
determine eye problems.
A Doctor Exam Is Needed...
A child needs an eye exam by an optometrist or
ophthalmologist if:
• Acuity is 20/40 or greater in either eye
• Signs or complaints of visual problems
• If there is a 2 line difference on eye chart
between the 2 eyes during screening
• An eye turns in or out
Do You See Well?
How sharply we see is called Visual Acuity.
Distance Acuity is measured 20 feet from
eye chart.
A measurement of 20/20 means a person can see details
on a chart that a person with average vision can see at
20 feet.
20/30 is still passing
20/40 means a doctor visit!
Doctor Recommendations
The American Academy of Pediatricians
recommend a vision check for all children
by age 3 and at regular intervals
afterward.
The American optometric Association
recommend a comprehensive vision exam
starting at age 6 months.
Eye Health Professionals
Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor
specializing in eye care and surgery.
Optometrist is a doctor who examines,
diagnoses, treats and manages disorders of the
eye.
Optician is a technician who makes and adjusts
eye glasses and contact lenses according to the
eye doctor’s prescription.
Checking For
Healthy Eyes and Ears
• Seeing well and hearing well
• are important to learning.
Why Test Eyes at School?
Difficulty seeing well is common
in school children.
53 million children, 6-11 years old,
(21.5%)
have a vision problem.
As children get older, even
more come to need glasses!
Common Vision Problems
Farsightedness- the eyes does
not focus well on nearby
objects. Near objects are
blurred. It is corrected by
convex eyeglass lenses.
Nearsightedness- the eye does
not focus on distant objects.
Distant objects are blurred. It is
corrected by concave eyeglass
lenses.
Strabismus is a turning in or
outward of the eyes. The eyes
may be turned in or out
constantly or only when tired.
Amblyopia. One eye is able to see
much better than the other
because of muscle imbalance,
astigmatism, or poor acuity.
Astigmatism- the cornea or lens of
the eye is uneven. Astigmatism
is corrected special eyeglass
lenses.
There Could be a Vision Problem
If….
• Avoiding close work
• Rubbing eyes or
frequent styles
• Turning or tilting head
to use one eye only
• Using finger to keep
place
• Squinting
• Eyes turn inward or
outward
• Red or watery eyes
• Headaches
• Blurred or Double
vision
• Difficulty with
schoolwork
Early Detection Matters
Detecting some eye problems early with eye
testing is important.
If weak muscles that cause crossed eyes
are detected before age 5, it may prevent
a life long eye problem.
Poor Vision
Poor vision affects how
well you:
Feel
Do school work
Play sports
See to read
Play games
See TV
Eye Injuries
Sports and toys
are the leading cause
of eye injuries in children
according to hospital records.
In 2000, almost 18,060 sports eye injuries
(to children under age 14) were treated.
Sports Related Eye Injuries
The 5 most common reported sports activities
associated with eye injuries are:
Baseball
Basketball
Swimming
Bicycling
Football
Protect your eyes with sports safety equipment.
Toy Injuries
In 2000, 9,000 eye injuries
occurred to children from toys.
The most common toys cited at treatment were:
toy weapons
bicycles
balloons
Follow rules and wear safety protection.
We See to Learn
To learn about the world around us,
We see, hear, feel, and experience.
Almost 80% of learning
comes from what we see!
Hearing Loss
There are 3 types of hearing loss.
Conductive hearing loss involves the outer
and middle ear. Sound waves are unable
to travel to the inner ear.
Sensori-neural hearing loss involves the
auditory nerve.
Mixed hearing loss involves the outer,
middle, and inner ear.
Reasons for Hearing Loss
•
•
•
•
•
•
Genetic hearing loss
Injury
Frequent Infections
A Medication side effect
Noise
Aging
There Could Be A Hearing Problem
• Need loud volume on
TV and Radio
• Straining to hear
conversation
• Lack of response to
nearby sounds
• Discharge from the
ears
• Pain in the ears
• Ringing or buzzing in
the ears
• Inability to recognize
speech
• Dizziness for no
apparent reason
• Favoring one ear
Hearing Affects Speech
If hearing impairment is not detected early, it
can result in slow speech development or
pronunciation difficulties.
Implications of Hearing Loss
• Mild hearing loss would leave speech
muffled because of missed soft sounds
• Moderate hearing loss would mean normal
conversation heard as a whisper
• Severe hearing loss would leave very
muffled conversation
• Profound hearing loss would only let
extremely loud sounds be heard.
Measuring Sound
• Hearing screens use pure sounds. Pure sounds
are measured by frequency and intensity.
• Frequency is the number of vibrations in a
second. A person recognizes frequency as
“pitch” or how “high” or “low” the sound.
Frequency is measured in units called Hertz or
Hz.
• Intensity is loudness or softness of a tone. It is
measured in decibels dB. Normal conversation
is from 40 to 65 dB.
Human Hearing
The human ear can hear sounds from 20Hz
to 20,000Hz.
Normal Human Speech contains sounds
ranging from 125Hz to 8,000Hz.
Hearing screening can detect difficulty
hearing the sounds of normal speech.
Hearing Screen
A hearing check is done with an
audiometer.
The test is called a Sweep-Check
Screen.
At 25 dB a person listens for following frequencies
1000, 2000, and 4000.
A Doctor Visit is Needed...
If a student fails to identify any of
these frequencies in either ear.