Evie was struggling to keep up in her first year of school. Reading and writing tasks were an everyday challenge for the Brisbane Prep student and she became overwhelmed with the day-to-day activities of the classroom. Fortunately, there was a simple solution to her problem – a pair of glasses.
Evie was one of the almost 50,000 ‘Preppies’ across Queensland who received free vision tests in 2019 through Children’s Health Queensland’s statewide Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program, which ensures a child is best prepared to begin to their education.
In Evie’s case, her vision screening revealed she was short-sighted, an increasingly common condition in childhood. The diagnosis initially came as a surprise to her parents, but they later realised it explained a few things about their daughter.
“Evie would cry at a playground when she couldn’t see where we were,” her mother Erin recalls. “She was quite clumsy. She would fall over.”
“We thought it was just Evie – until we got her sight checked.”
“Suddenly we had an answer for her behavioural problems and her learning challenges.”
A year on from getting her glasses, Evie is a confident and happy Year 1 student, who loves socialising with her friends, participating in outdoor activities and is thriving at school.
“Her schoolwork, behaviour and confidence has improved dramatically. Her glasses have completely changed her life,” Erin says.
“I just love my new glasses, and I love school now,” a beaming Evie adds.
Evie: that I have glasses, everything got clearer because I can see better.
Erin-Evie's mum: I feel like I should have known that something was wrong because she would often trip over, she would be the kid that dropped the glass of milk. She had a lot of temper tantrums, learning to read. The words just weren't sinking in.
We thought that she was just going to be find learning harder. So it wasn't actually until she got screened in prep, that we found out in hindsight, we probably should have taken her to get her eyes checked, but it wasn't even on our radar.
Shelley Duffy: So every year in Queensland we provide vision screening to 50,000 prep students and we refer approximately 4,000 of those children to an eye health professional for further assessment and treatment.
Erin-Evie's mum: Since getting glasses, Evie has excelled at reading. She's actually caught up and gone beyond the standards for her year. She reads all the time, she writes all the time and absolutely love going to school.
Shelley Duffy: It's fantastic. It's, it's great to know that we are identifying children who previously weren't identified, and we know we're having an impact on their long-term outcomes.
Erin-Evie's mum: She tells me when she makes a mistake, it's good because your brain is growing. So she's one of those kids that just thrives on learning, and I feel like if we didn't get the glasses and the vision screening done, she probably wouldn't have that attitude towards learning and towards life.
About prep vision screening
Vision screening is vital in early childhood, particularly for conditions such as amblyopia, or a ‘lazy eye’. This is the most common cause of vision impairment in children affecting about 1 in 50 Australian children. If not detected and treated early, it can negatively impact their social and educational development and can increase the risk of blindness in adulthood.
By starting treatment while a child’s visual pathway is still maturing (up to age eight), there’s a greater chance of reversing this damaging condition without any long-term effects on vision.
Last updated: November 2023