Apperances
Miss Teen(R) USA Hopeful Shines Light on Vision Problems
By College of Optometrists in Vision Developmen
Jul 29, 2003, 05:36

POLAND, Ohio, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental protection. Learning-related vision problems. Terrorism. World peace.

A listing of some of the greatest issues facing the world today? Or a sampling of beauty pageant platforms? If you said both, you were right.

But learning-related vision problems? Indeed, undetected vision problems are the leading disability for youths, affecting more than 10 million children, according to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD). Because of this, Miss Ohio TeenŽ USA Amanda Stevens is using her platform to educate people about the solution to learning-related vision problems that changed her life, vision therapy.

"Most people don't know about vision therapy and what it can do for children with learning-related vision problems," Stevens says.

In the first grade, Stevens struggled to read, feeling extremely self-conscious. Tests indicated she had "20/20 eyesight." However, developmental optometrist Drusilla Grant, O.D., discovered Stevens suffered from double vision and a disorder where her eyes failed to track together across the page when reading.

"People with '20/20 eyesight' don't necessarily have perfect vision," Dr. Grant says. "They may have great sight -- but that number doesn't account for other visual problems that may impact the learning process and often require more than just glasses -- like with Amanda."

The solution? Vision therapy -- a prescribed program of progressive procedures to help the eyes work together and with the brain to properly interpret visual information. For example, Stevens performed activities to develop her eye teaming skills while wearing special red-green glasses. This helped her overcome the tendency for suppression -- a condition where one eye overpowers the other, thereby "shutting off" its vision. Stevens completed six months of in-office vision therapy in addition to prescribed home therapy activities.

Now age 17, Stevens reigns at the top of her junior class and began competing in pageants two years ago with the goal of earning scholarship money, only to be named Miss Ohio TeenŽ USA this year. She will compete in the national Miss TeenŽ USA pageant in Palm Springs, California airing on NBC August 12.

"In my interviews with judges, I take every opportunity possible to bring up vision therapy," Stevens says. "It has been so important for helping me succeed in school, gain confidence and make me the person I am."

Dr. Grant, who belongs to the 1,600-member College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), says there are countless other cases like that of the Stevens family. She points to many situations where parents have unnecessarily invested significant time, money, and emotional tribulation looking for solutions in the wrong places.

"Parents and teachers need to consider vision problems first when children continually struggle with their schoolwork or have behavioral problems," Dr. Grant says.

Dr. Grant notes a few important signs parents and teachers can watch for:

-- Near work avoidance
-- Omits or rereads letters/words
-- Being labeled lazy or a slow learner
-- Frequent headaches and fatigue


For more information on learning-related vision problems, vision therapy and the COVD, please see www.covd.org.

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