By Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated April 9, 2020
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The first step in determining if a student is in need or is eligible for school based vision services is to obtain a current eye report (within one year). If the child has not yet received an eye exam from an ophthalmologist or optometrist, this will need to be scheduled and conducted prior to proceeding with the referral.  Having a current report is important as children's vision can change as the child grows and cooperativeness during the exam can change. Students in the Vision Program will need to provide copies of updated reports annually or at a minimum every three years to determine ongoing eligibility. This report also helps the TVI be aware of any changes in acuity, diagnosis or prognosis. 

Medical Professionals

There are a number of medical professionals within the vision field. This page provides information on the various medical professionals and what sets them apart from each other.

Vision Tests & Tools

There are a variety of tests and procedures to assess the integrity, health, and function of the eye. This page provides information on various tests and tools used by eye specialists during the eye exam.

Visual Acuity

Acuity describes the amount of detail the individual sees compared to what a person with normal vision sees.  This page provides information on understanding visual acuities.

Lenses

Reports should indicate what a student's uncorrected and corrected visual acuities are. If a student's vision can be corrected, even mildly, they will typically be prescribed glasses or contacts. This page details the different types of lenses a student may be prescribed. ​

Visual Fields

Visual field refers to how great an area a person can see and is measured, in degrees, as an angle. A visual deficit may be a central field loss, or may occur elsewhere in the visual field. This page detailed types of visual field loss.
   The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."  -Helen Keller

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