Loyola University optometry students will be first college group in America to use revolutionary new vision screening device, Spot

LAKE MARY, Fla., April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Insight Pre-Optometry Club, a group of pre-optometry students at Loyola University will be the first student-run optometry club in the country to use the revolutionary new vision screening device, Spot. The group will conduct a free screening with the children at the Loyola University Pre-school on Monday, April 23 starting at 8:30 a.m.

The Insight Pre-Optometry Club is a student group formed five years ago that is dedicated to screening children and generating awareness for the importance of vision screening. The Loyola students will be screening 53 children, ranging in age from 2 to 5 years old.

"If we were using the E chart, screening that many young children would be very difficult and take us the entire day, because we would be relying on them providing us with feedback," said Asma Khan, a senior at Loyola and president of the Insight Pre-Optometry Club. "With Spot, we will be able to conduct this screening in less than an hour with a high rate of accuracy. If a child has a vision issue, Spot will identify it immediately."

Spot is a handheld, portable, wireless, WiFi enabled vision screener that looks like a camera and has an incredibly quick capture time of one second or less, which makes screening efficient in a physician's office or large-scale public screening, especially with pre-verbal and young children.

"We had the opportunity to see Spot demonstrated last year and are really excited to use it in our screening," said Khan, who will lead a group of nine students.  "To be the first college club in the country to use Spot is very exciting for all of us."

The breakthrough vision screener, Spot, can assess the vision of anyone from 6 months through adult with a high degree of accuracy, while delivering immediate comprehensive objective results.  The portable non-invasive device makes vision screening as easy as using a camera. Spot's touchscreen interface clearly displays the results instantly. 

"Our goal is to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential," said David Melnik, president and chief executive officer of PediaVision. "Spot demonstrates how innovation can drive profound changes in our community."

The opportunity to use Spot will afford the Insight Pre-Optometry Group the chance to see the future of vision screening.

 "We are dedicated to providing vision services to the community with Loyola students who are studying optometry, so we can gain some real insight as to what optometry is all about and what we can do to prepare ourselves," said Khan, whose group does at least two screenings  a year. "Everyone in our group loves to go out into the community to conduct vision screenings. Using Spot will make it that much better."

Vision Disability, Number One Health Issue in Schools

In a study by the Department of Health and Behavioral studies at Columbia University, early detection and treatment of vision disability needs to be priority number one.[1]

The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that vision disability is the single most prevalent disabling condition among children. Approximately 80 percent[2] of what children learn in their early school years is visual. Alarmingly, fewer than 15 percent of all preschool children receive an eye exam and fewer than 22 percent receive any type of vision screening.            

Today, over 12 million children go to school every day and struggle to see the blackboard or read their textbooks.  Research shows that of the children in the 9-15 year old age group only 10 percent of those who needed glasses actually had them.[3] Pediavision is committed to ending this senseless handicap.

About PediaVision

PediaVision, inventor of the Spot vision screener, is dedicated to solving the critical problem of undiagnosed vision problems and transforming the lives of thousands of children each day. Automated and objective vision screening empowers organizations in public health and private medicine to positively affect the outcomes of a child's education performance.

Supported by ophthalmologists, optometrists, scientists and leading technology innovators, the Spot vision screener is breakthrough technology and represents what vision screening should be.  For more information, including how to order Spot, please visit www.pediavision.com. 

[1] Basch, C.E. (2010) Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap.

[2] American Optometric Association. (2000). Optometric clinical practice guidelines. Care of the patient with learning-related vision problems. Ralph P. Garzia, O.D., Principal Author.

[3] Children's Vision Care in the 21st Century and its Impact on Education, Literacy, Social Issues and the Workplace. A Call to Action, Joel N. Zaba, MA, O.D. for Essilor Vision Foundation, September 2008.

SOURCE PediaVision