INSIGHTS Back to School With Fresh Vision By Gwendolyn Plummer Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:31 AM September is here, and for millions of Americans that means one thing in particular: back to school. Whether it’s students, caretakers, teachers, administrators, or anyone else who works alongside the school system, one of the busiest times of the year is kicking into high gear. And, of course, there are few things more important heading into the school year than ensuring students have the best possible eye health to help them succeed. Prevent Blindness declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, helping everyone to prepare for the school year. Some important stats from Prevent Blindness: nearly one in four American children have an undetected vision problem, and leaving these issues uncorrected can impair vision development and interfere with learning and socializing—two of the most important skills for succeeding both in school and in life. As we settle into the academic season, it is one of the central jobs of our industry to double down and remind parents, caretakers and teachers just how vital taking care of children’s vision is for their growth and success. There are tons of online resources to help us do just that, including fact sheets, social media graphics, talking points, podcasts and more from many of the organizations in our field, including Prevent Blindness. Plus, there’s the newly introduced Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children (EDVI) Act, bipartisan legislation that could help establish the first ever federal program for children’s vision, providing grants for states and communities to improve children’s vision and eye health. So, even as we get swept up in the beginning of back-to-school season, let us not forget the most important job we have: protecting eye health and vision for all.