Children's Vision Massachusetts Newsletter
NIH Study Results Released: Vision Health in Young Children Impacts Early Literacy
The Vision In Preschoolers-Hyperopia in Preschoolers Study Group (a National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health funded study) has shown that uncorrected farsightedness (hyperopia) in preschool children is associated with significantly worse performance on a test of early literacy (the TOPAL test).  This is the first study to ask if the status of a young child's vision health has an impact on the acquisition of early literacy skills. The results have wide ranging implications for future practice and policy related to making children's vision health a priority for health care providers, early educators, legislators, and parents. Bruce Moore, OD, Co-Chair of Children's Vision Massachusetts is a member of the VIP-HIP study group.  Links to the study press release and abstract: 



Reach Out and Read Medical Director Highlights Importance of Assessing Vision Development 
Seeing Clearly  author Marilyn Augustyn , MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Coalition Medical Director for Reach Out and Read, is published in the MA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Winter 2016 Newsletter (p.9) Click here to view the article  The article addresses the importance of careful assessment of vision development in infants and young children by the pediatric primary care provider and references a recent review article in Current Ophthalmology Report (Hyvarinen L, Walthes R, Jacob N, Nottingham CK, Leonhardt M. 2014;2(4):142-149.).  Dr. Lea Hyvarinen is a member of the Children's Vision Massachusetts Coalition's Question Work Group. 
Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health
The Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health is presented annually to an individual, team, or organization that has made significant contributions to the advancement of public health related to vision and eye health at the community, state, and/or national level. Among the highest honors Prevent Blindness bestows, this prestigious award consists of formal acknowledgement and a commemorative plaque to be presented at the Focus on Eye Health National Summit  in Washington, DC on July 13, 2016.  It further comes with an invitation to present on this work as the closing plenary speaker of the Summit.  The award serves as a living memorial to Jenny Pomeroy, who served as the CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia from 1996 until 2013 and brought a passionate understanding of public health to her work and our mission.  The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 22, 2016. For more information, Click here

Prevent Blindness Northeast Regional Office Welcomes New Member
It is a pleasure to introduce Mary Priscilla Kelangi who joins the Prevent Blindness family as the Manager of Communications and Development, Northeast Region. Prior to this position, Priscilla worked as a Communications and Fund Development Intern at Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. In her role, she manages all our Northeast region Communications including event management, social media, advertising, organizational communication, integrated marketing and campaigning.

Click here to post interesting news to Priscilla Kelangi



Please Make a DONATION and Support Children's Vision Massachusetts
 
Name | Company | Phone | Email | Website
STAY CONNECTED: