New Storybook to Detect Vision Impairments

This is a guest post from my friend, Justin, who told me about a fascinating new book that helps detect vision problems in children.  I asked him to share a little more detail with you all and I’ll now turn the post over to him.  Thank you, Justin!

A new storybook has been developed to provide an early indication for possible visual problems in children.

In order to help their child develop into a happy and healthy adult, parents have a lot of different considerations and choices to make, particularly when it comes to health and education. With experts claiming that 80% of a child’s learning is processed via the visual system, ensuring that a child’s eyes are healthy and that their vision is good is an important aspect of development.

Optical Express have always been firm believers of this concept. As one of the UK’s leading eye care providers, they are often the first point of contact for parents who are concerned about nurturing and monitoring the eyesight of their children.

It’s no wonder then, that when a unique charity initiative aiming to improve the early detection of possible vision issues in children was brought to their attention. Optical Express were delighted about being asked to get involved.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s department of Vision Sciences designed and developed Eye See a Dragon in the Glen. It is a children’s storybook with a difference. As well as being an engaging story about hunting for trolls up in the Highlands, this book also carries out two important visual eye checks during the reading process. These checks include testing visual acuity to find out if both the eyes can see clearly. It also includes a suppression test using 3D glasses to ensure that both the eyes are able to work well together.

John Morgan, Business Development Director at Optical Express, said, “The idea to create a fun and interactive book for children to enjoy that will also help to detect any vision issues early on is a stroke of genius.”

Optical Express have funded a large-scale print run in order to support the aims of this initiative. They have also bought 1,500 copies of the book for distribution to families that cannot afford to buy a copy of this valuable resource for themselves.

Ken Lewandowski, the Scottish Business Challenge, thinks that Eye See a Dragon in the Glen has the possibility of selling well in the future in both the UK and even abroad. He goes on to say: “The funding from Optical Express will ensure that this is only the beginning of the success story for this brilliant book.”

The profits raised from the sale of the book are going to Children 1^st. This is a charity in Scotland that helps children have happy and safe childhoods.