Equalize
Eye to Eye Newsletter
2/6/2025
Nearsightedness is Skyrocketing in Kids. Sunshine can Help.
Austin, D. (2025). “Nearsightedness is Skyrocketing in Kids. Sunshine Can Help.” National Geographic.
Most TVIs and O&Ms advocate for playing outside. Children from the 1980s and previous generations played outside as kids. My children were the first generation to really be affected by the gaming culture during the 1990s. They are now in their 30’s and still game; however, as kids they were very limited on the amount of screen play time. This actually worked out well, because both of them enjoyed being outside. However, as the years progressed, more and more children stay inside, to play video games, and because their parents were part of the first gaming generation, this is allowed. What has been the consequence of this now learned behavior that involves multiple generations now?
Myopia has gained ground over the past 40 years, and the American Optometric Association estimates that there are 25% more myopia diagnoses. The National Eye Institute projects that 50% of the world population will be nearsighted by the year 2050. Indeed, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Dr. Marc Mathias of the University of Colorado School of Medicine stated that the term “myopia epidemic is being used to describe the phenomenon.”
A survey from 2022 showed that only 27% of children play outside on a regular basis. Two generations ago, 80% of adolescents spent a great deal more time outside. A 2024 National Academies report recommends that children need to spend more time outside in order protect their eyesight, i.e. children who spend more time outside will be less likely to develop myopia.
Because the eye becomes elongated with myopia, the retina stretches to cover the back of the eye. This causes the stretched infrastructure of the eye to be susceptible to glaucoma, macular degeneration, premature cataracts, and retinal tears and detachments.
Being outside and in the sun is good for everyone’s eyes, but particularly children. Because young eyes are still developing, Dr. Chase Ludwig, a vitreoretinal surgeon at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford School of Medicine, stated that “spending time outdoors helps prevent excessive elongation of the eyeball.” Bright sunlight triggers dopamine that has a two-fold job in helping with eye health. First, it ensures the retina maintains its proper shape and regulates eye growth. Second, dopamine helps the eye to adapt to different types of light by regulating the interaction of images with certain receptors in the retina. This also aids in improving the shape and health of the eye.
Sunlight also assists with vitamin D production that strengthens ocular tissues. It reduces eye inflammation, improves corneal function, and helps with tear secretion. Vitamin D also helps with maintaining the strength of the sclera, thus helping to prevent stretching.
Being outside means that the child (or adult) is not sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time. Excessive screen time is a near activity that does not give our eyes a chance to strengthen eye muscles used for long-distance viewing. The World Health Organization suggests that children under the age of two have no screen time, while children ages two to five have no more than one hour of screen time per day. After the age of five, limited screen time is still very important for young children and adolescent eyes that continue to develop.
Genetic predisposition has also been studied as a factor in the rise of myopia. However, this only accounts for 10% of myopia.
A recent report put out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine encourages “increased outdoor time during daylight for young children and persistent outdoor activity throughout childhood and into young adulthood.” The amount of time spent outside every day said to reduce the risk of myopia by 45% is one hour. Seventy-six minutes of daily outdoor activity brings the reduction risk to 50%.
Dr. Ludwig stated that children and adults should take breaks from reading, viewing a screen, and any other pro-longed close work. Using the 20-20-20 rule works well. For every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen or other close work activity, looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds can significantly reduce visual fatigue.
Laura Di Meglio, instructor of ophthalmology at Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins, related that time spent outdoors and using strategies that reduce visual fatigue do not guarantee long-term eye health. However, she further stated, “any amount of myopia that can be prevented can help reduce the changes of complications and possible vision loss later in life.”
Reminder:
Legally Blind Census
Registration Ends
February 14, 2025
Video about APH registration:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10u104bE8_dJ1zsUmasdjJaE3l6Y62Xp6/view?usp=drive_link
Power point about APH registration:
Your School System is Audited. Are You Prepared?
Tips from Yvonne Franz
Having your students’ files audited is a scary thought and one that most of us would like to bury and not think about. Luckily, Yvonne has some tips so that you can be prepared, should a state audit ever happen to a school system you serve.
1. Eligibility Evidence for SDI must be more than a list of assessments. It should be a summary of the FVA and show why the student requires SDI.
2. Present Levels should include a variety of data that discusses the student’s current level. The previous goal(s) should be revisited, and a statement as to whether the student met or did not meet the goal needs to be incorporated.
3. If the student has been absent and no data exists, there must be a statement clarifying why there is no new information.
4. Make sure there is a statement in the IEP as to why the student is being pulled for one-on-one services.
5. Criteria for Mastery should match your annual goal.
Celebrating Educators and Leaders in the Blindness Field During Black History Month
February is a short month, but it is packed full of holidays and celebrations. Typically, we all think of Valentines Day. There’s also President’s Day. I think about Ground Hogs, but let’s not talk about Puxsutawney Phil this year.
February is also the month to celebrate Black History. Do you have African American students who would benefit from knowing about famous black educators and leaders who promoted the education and rights of visually impaired and blind students? For example, Dr. Laurence C. Jones who founded the Piney Woods School, south of Jackson, Mississippi, in 1909 that educated blind children and grandchildren of former slaves. Martha Louise Morrow Fox, severley visually impaired from infancy, taught at the Piney Woods School and later became principal at the Mississippi State School for the Blind. Haben Girma, a human rights lawyer was the first deaf/blind individual to graduate from Harvard Law School. For more about these remarkable people click on this link. https://aphconnectcenter.org/familyconnect/after-the-diagnosis/multi-cultural/a-black-history-month-celebration-of-educators-and-leaders-in-the-blindness-field/
Deaf/Blind Census 2025
By Yvonne Franz
(This article is being published again
due to the importance of the information.)
Here are a few things to remember about the D/B census.
When: Now until Feb. 14, 2025
Who: Any VI student who also has a hearing impairment OR Central Auditory Processing Disorder.
(Note: Many of my MU students are on the D/B census due to the auditory processing part of their disability.)
Where: In ECATs under Deaf/Blind Census in the documents section of each student.
Why: An accurate count is important to generate federal money to help workshops and get support at no cost.
The step-by-step slide presentation is in our VI HUB.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qjZ3aZzzd7Ch51-AiI9t-0Zd9Gjo_eneMgK7RQppYk4/edit?usp=sharing
Here’s the link to watch the information provided by DPI. The D/B part starts at 8:50 minutes into the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWxmJRs0UTI
