AAO: Children with visual impairments must have continual care

Constant clinical low vision care is vital for children with visual impairments to succeed in school and in their communities, according to a position paper from the Low Vision Section of the American Academy of Optometry.

Mark E. Wilkinson, OD, FAAO, and colleagues stated in the paper that ongoing evaluations performed by eye care practitioners trained in low vision can provide adult care givers “with critical information about the nature and severity of a child’s visual impairment and strategies for enhancing the child’s use of remaining vision.”

The authors noted that while it is estimated that 0.2% of children old enough to go to school in the U.S. are visually impaired, the prevalence is not truly known.

However, for the children who are visually impaired, it is crucial for them to get the help they need, which may include assistive technology.

"These strategies include corrective lenses, magnification and other low vision adaptive devices, as well as services and accommodations that would increase the child’s access to visual information at school and during activities of daily living," the authors wrote. "Students with visual impairments should have access to prescribed optical and/or electronic adaptive devices, instruction in the use of prescribed devices and recommended habilitation/rehabilitation services throughout their educational program."

According to the authors, the evaluations will allow eye care professionals to adequately address the child's visual needs and facilitate their success.

"Information provided by ongoing clinical low vision evaluations ensures that early intervention programs for young children and individualized educational programs for school-age children are truly individualized for the visual needs of children with visual impairments and provides these children with the best opportunity for successful growth and development," they concluded.