Over 200 doctors and school nurses joined experts from Essilor in Februrary for the launch of a pilot initiative between Vision for Life and the Paris Education Authority. It’s aim: to raise awareness about the importance of healthy vision at school and give practical support to medical professionals working within the national education system.
School medical staff can play a vital role in identifying students with visual problems. In France, although all students starting their first year in middle and high schools are supposed to have their vision screened, many school nurses don’t have the tools to carry out screening or face difficulties in ensuring that those diagnosed as needing visual correction get equipped with the glasses they require.
School doctors and nurses from across Paris participated in a day-long training event at Essilor’s Center for Innovation and Technologies in Créteil, France, to explore a range of topics related to visual health – from vision examinations, myopia to the risks of UV, harmful blue-light and intense screen use. Participants left with a better understanding of good vision for learning, how to detect problems and a series of practical advice sheets on how to discuss vision health issues with students and their families.
Vision for Life hopes to expand this project with other education authorities across France and use this model for similar programs in Europe and worldwide.