When Hannah was in 3rd grade, she was diagnosed with amblyopia. She had never complained of a vision issue because her right eye was compensating for the decreasing vision in her left eye. And despite her parents keeping up to date with check ups, she slipped through the cracks. Though they tried many treatments, unfortunately, Hannah’s amblyopia was too advanced and could not be corrected. Hannah, now a local school nurse, is blind in her left eye and wants to tell everyone about the lifelong impact that a KidSight screening can have for a child. She told us, “If something were to happen to my right eye, my life would change dramatically.”
Hannah’s story isn’t uncommon. Amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” is the most common cause of visual impairment in children. It happens when an eye fails to work properly with the brain. The weaker eye looks normal, but the brain favors the stronger eye. This means that for many children, the signs that something is wrong are easy to miss and treatment is time sensitive! A recent study found that children 7 and older were less likely to respond to amblyopia treatment and more likely to suffer long term vision loss.
For Hannah, a KidSight screening could have made the difference between lifelong vision loss and the early detection and successful treatment of amblyopia. KidSight focuses on children ages 6 months to 6 years so we can catch vision disorders like amblyopia early and make sure that no child suffers from preventable vision loss. We are striving to serve more children next year and your support is crucial.
Donate today at www.kid-sight.org/give