Clarian Health, Riley CEO Support Children's Vision Screening Efforts 
 
06/13/2007

Indianapolis - Dr. Ora Pescovitz, president and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children, will partner with Prevent Blindness Indiana and serve as the honorary co-chair for the nonprofit's Sight for Life: Seeing is Achieving children's vision campaign. The campaign will focus on the importance of vision screenings and their correlation to a student's academic performance.

Prevent Blindness Indiana, an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, provides vision screenings at a variety of locations, and assists with referrals and access to follow-up care. PBI also provides education and trains individuals to become volunteer vision screeners.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Pescovitz as our children's vision champion," said Patricia E. Szuch, CEO and president of Prevent Blindness Indiana. "As a physician, she understands the importance of routine check-ups and exams for children at critical stages in their development. As a mother, she knows the importance of making certain children receive appropriate eye care to help them achieve in school."

"By ensuring that our children have access to regular vision care, we are providing them with a better opportunity to succeed in school, and to witness all of the wonderful sights and scenes Indianapolis has to offer," said Pescovitz. Clarian Health and Riley are supporting the initiative with a grant to provide vision screening services to Central Indiana children.

One in four school age children suffers from a vision disorder, according to research conducted by Prevent Blindness America. The child in the back of the classroom who falls behind, acts out or receives a label of 'troublesome' could have an undiagnosed or correctable vision problem. PBI research shows that attending to eye health is not a priority in many families, regardless of their income level.

"We estimate that only about 14 percent of Hoosier children are receiving vision screenings before entering school," Szuch said. "Physicians, in general, are not aware of the need, and school nurses and social workers are often overwhelmed with daily medical needs, hampering their efforts to include vision screening into the students' regimen of care. Support from Clarian and Riley will help us reach children who could benefit from an eye exam and eye glasses," said Szuch.

For more information, please contact Ryan Puckett at 317-962-4376.