"Healthy Vision™ with Dr. Val Jones" Radio Show Highlights the Importance of Good Vision to Children's Performance in School, Sports and Life

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As millions of children head back to the classroom, parents are looking for every opportunity to help them be successful in school and in life. On the new edition of Healthy Vision™ with Dr. Val Jones, top national experts discuss how early identification of vision problems and different types of vision correction can impact a child's self esteem, confidence and performance.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), one-in-four school-aged children suffer from an undetected or untreated vision problem. While most school vision screenings can and do catch some types of vision problems, they do have their limitations.  AOA president Dori Carlson, O.D., a guest on the program, says studies show that upwards of 75 percent of children who have a learning related vision problem are missed during school screenings and other studies show that upwards of 40 percent don't get follow-up care afterwards. "Knowing that so much of what children learn is visual, it needs to be a priority to catch vision problems early on," she tells program host Dr. Val Jones.

Optometrist and researcher Jeffrey Walline, O.D. and Clinical Psychology Professor Mitchell Prinstein, Ph.D. join Dr. Val to share research results which suggest that contact lenses may have added benefits to children beyond vision correction, and offer advice to parents on how to know if your child is ready for contacts.  "I generally tell people that we should not base a child's ability to wear contact lenses on age alone," says Dr. Walline.

All-American actress Meaghan Martin, best known for her roles in Camp Rock:  The Final Jam and 10 Things I Hate About You, tells Dr. Val about how she overcame "poke-a-phobia" and offers advice to teenagers on what they can do to improve their self esteem.

Healthy Vision™ with Dr. Val Jones is devoted to educating and improving the eye health of Americans. The program is supported by ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses and is hosted by Val Jones, M.D., CEO of Better Health, LLC, a network of popular health bloggers, and author of, "Dr. Val and the Voice of Reason," which won The Best New Medical Blog award in 2007.

Free podcasts of Healthy Vision™ with Dr. Val Jones can be found in the iTunes Store (for best results, search for the show by its complete title.  You will find it in LifeMinute.TV Health), BlogTalk Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/healthyvision) and on http://getbetterhealth.com/healthyvision.  A link to the show also can be found at www.acuvue.com/healthyvision.

Dr. Val Jones is a paid consultant for VISTAKON® Division Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

ACUVUE®, Healthy Vision™ and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

SOURCE VISTAKON(R), Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.