Our Preschool team at PBNC is passionate about eye health! Our program staff, vision screeners and volunteers have been super busy this school year striving to save sight and prevent blindness. We are heading into spring excited about all of the preschoolers we have served through vision screenings, eyecare resources, and educational activities with centers. Through February, over 31,000 preschoolers had participated in our on-site, free screenings held at child care centers and preschools across NC. Almost 3,500 of those children were referred for further vision care due to the detection of possible visual impairments. Many of these issues had been undetected, and thus untreated prior to our screening.
In addition to t
he vision screenings, we also work with preschools to help educate staff and children on the importance of good visual health. We have been offering a Book Reading Program for local centers during which volunteers read books and complete educational activities, all of which focus on eye specific topics such as wearing glasses, taking a trip to the eye doctor, and taking good care of our eyes. Reagan, one of our preschool interns, has recently provided book readings focused on the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse, which will occur on April 8th. She has utilized materials provided by Prevent Blindness and the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health to share information about the eclipse with center staff and children, especially focused on measures to keep our eyes safe during the eclipse. Reagan read the eclipse book and helped the kids complete activities provided in the eclipse lesson plans. The kids and staff have loved this interactive program, and we look forward to working with more centers in the future.
The upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th will be one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century, so it is sure to be a very cool event!!
But in order to view the upcoming eclipse safely, it is imperative that you and your children wear eclipse glasses that meet safety guidelines. Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse with no glasses or those that don’t meet the guidelines can be very dangerous for your eyes. For more information on ordering safe glasses from PBNC, use the link below. We want all of our families to safely enjoy this spectacular event!